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THE 


LIFE  AND  SERVICES 


OF 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL 


Andrew  Jonathan  Alexander 


UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 


A  SKETCH 

From  Personal  Recollections,  Family  Letters  and  the  Records  of  the  Great  Rebellion 

BY 

JAMES   HARRISON    WILSON, 

Late  Major-General,  Volunteers,  and  Brevet  Major-General,  U.S.A. 


NEW   YORK: 

1887. 


"There  is  a  heritage  of  heroic  example  and  noble  obliga- 
tion not  reckoned  in  the  Wealth  of  Nations,  but  essential  to 
a  nations  life,  the  contempt  of  which,  in  any  people,  may,  not 
slowly,  mean  even  its  commercial  fall. 

"  Very  sweet  are  the  uses  of  prosperity,  the  harvests  of  peace 
and  progress,  the  fostering  sunshine  of  health  and  happiness 
and  length  of  days  in  the  land, 

"But  there  be  things — Oh,  Sons  of  what  has  deserved  the 
name  of  Great  Britain,  forget  it  not ! — '  the  good  of  which  and 
'  the  use  of  which  are  beyond  all  calculation  of  worldly  goods 
and  earthly  uses :  things  such  as  Love  and  Honor  and  the  Soul 
of  Man,  which  cannot  be  bought  with  a  price,  and  which  do  not 
die  with  death. 

11  And  they  who  would  fain  live  happily  EVER  after,  should 
not  leave  these  things  out  of  the  lessons  of  their  lives." 

JULIANA    HORATIA    EWING. 


STOCKFORD, 

Near  WILMINGTON,  DELAWARE, 
May  2jd,  1887. 


S  £  U    T  n  ?.  K  V 


BREVET   BRIGADIER-GENERAL 


ANDREW  JONATHAN  ALEXANDER. 


i. 

AMONG  the  many  younger  officers  of  the  National  Army 
who  were  rapidly  coming  to  the  front  at  the  close  of 
the  Great  Rebellion,  none  gave  greater  promise  or  bore 
a  higher  character  than  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Andrew  J. 
Alexander.  Although  he  had  not  received  a  military  educa- 
tion, he  was  an  officer  of  first-rate  abilities  and  many  accom- 
plishments. Before  the  end  of  the  bloody  struggle,  which 
lasted  four  years,  by  virtue  of  great  natural  aptitude  and  that 
extraordinary  adaptability  so  characteristic  of  young  Americans, 
and  especially  of  those  from  the  Western  and  Southern  States, 
he  had  made  himself  not  only  a  model  staff  officer  but  an 
admirable  cavalry  commander.  Those  who  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  know  him  during  the  War  will  readily  recall  his 
superb  figure,  his  stately  carriage,  his  bright,  flashing,  blue 
eyes,  his  flowing  beard,  as  tawny  as  a  lion's  mane,  his  splen- 


6  A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

did  shoulders  and  his  almost  unequaled  horsemanship.  He 
was  a  pure  Saxon  in  coloring,  with  hair  and  beard  that  glist- 
ened like  gold  in  the  sunshine,  and  a  complexion  that  bid 
defiance  to  sun  and  wind.  Standing  over  six  feet  in  height, 
he  was  as  trim  and  commanding  a  figure  as  it  was  ever 
my  privilege  to  behold.  But  these  were  merely  the  outward 
indications  of  perfect  physical  manhood.  The  true  spirit  of 
the  unselfish  patriot,  the  unspotted  character  and  honor  of  the 
perfect  gentleman,  the  knightly  qualities  of  the  soldier,  "with- 
out fear  and  without  reproach,"  radiated  and  controlled  his 
person  and  his  conduct,  and  commanded  the  unquestioning 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  came  within  the  circle  of 
their  influence. 

It  is  impossible  by  words  to  convey  a  proper  understanding 
to  the  reader  of  how  all  those  beautiful  qualities  and  character- 
istics showed  themselves,  one  by  one,  during  the  multifarious 
and  ever-changing  occupations  and  incidents  of  the  soldier's 
life  in  those  stirring  times  when  suffering  and  exposure,  hardship 
and  want,  might  naturally  have  been  expected  to  arouse  the 
selfish  instincts ;  and  when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  if  there  was  any- 
thing mean  or  disagreeable,  ignoble  or  unmanly  in  an  officer  it 
was  sure  to  come  out.  And  yet  in  Alexander's  four  years  of 
unbroken  service  during  the  Rebellion,  and  in  the  twenty-two 
of  life  on  the  frontier,  and  at  his  beautiful  home  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Owasco,  I  venture  to  say  that  no  human  creature  ever 
discovered  a  mean  trait  in  his  character  or  charged  him  with 
an  ignoble  act  or  thought.  All  alike,  high  and  low,  officers 


SERVICES  A  T  THE  CA  VALR  Y  BUREA  U.  7 

and  privates,  friends  and  foes,  men  and  women,  soldiers  and 
civilians,  and  even  the  Negroes  and  Indians  recognized  in  him 
not  only  the  physical  qualities  of  perfect  manhood,  but  the 
moral  and  intellectual  graces  in  that  just  equilibrium  which  are 
the  chiefest  ornament  and  glory  of  our  common  nature. 

I  first  met  Alexander  at  the  Cavalry  Bureau  in  Washing- 
ton, where  he  was  serving  as  its  Adjutant-General  when  I  took 
charge  of  it,  in  February,  1 864,  and  shall  never  forget  his  cordial 
and  yet  undemonstrative  reception  of  his  new  and  unknown 
commander.  He  had  gone  there  with  General  Stoneman,  and 
had  assisted  him  and  his  temporary  successor,  General  Garrard, 
in  organizing  and  managing  it.  He  had  also  served  with 
Stoneman  in  the  field,  and  was  necessarily  devoted  to  him  and 
his  interests.  There  is  reason  for  believing  that,  in  common 
with  many  others,  he  regarded  his  chief  as,  in  every  way,  the 
best  man  in  the  Service  for  the  place,  from  which  he  had  lately 
been  relieved  by  the  Secretary  of  War ;  and  yet,  withal,  he  was 
a  loyal  and  patriotic  officer  who  never  once  questioned  the 
Secretary's  right  to  make  the  change,  nor  imagined  himself 
aggrieved  by  it,  or  at  liberty  to  condemn  it,  as  was  so  much  the 
custom  of  the  day.  To  the  contrary,  he  yielded  ready  and 
unquestioning,  and,  what  is  of  still  greater  importance,  uncriti- 
cising,  obedience  to  the  orders  in  question,  and  rendered  the 
most  cheerful  and  valuable  assistance  to  me  throughout  my 
entire  term  of  duty  at  the  Bureau.  I  was  again  brought  into 
relations  with  him  while  organizing  and  commanding  the  Cav- 
alry Corps  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi.  He 


8  A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

was  my  Adjutant-General  and  Chief  of  Staff  during  the  cam- 
paign against  Hood,  and  as  such  rendered  me  invaluable  serv- 
ices, but  as  soon  as  the  corps  could  be  assembled  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tennessee  River,  I  assigned  him,  in  recognition  of  his 
experience  and  qualifications,  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in 
Upton's  division,  although  he  was  at  the  time  only  a  Brevet 
Brigadier-General  with  the  actual  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
in  the  volunteer  staff  of  the  Army.  From  the  time  he  first 
joined  me  till  the  close  of  the  War,  he  was  constantly  with  me 
or  under  my  official  observation,  and  down  to  his  last  fatal  ill- 
ness we  were  intimate  friends  and  correspondents.  Almost  the 
last  letter  he  ever  wrote  was  to  me,  and,  like  every  act  of  his 
life,  it  was  redolent  of  generous  and  lofty  manhood.  I  men- 
tion these  facts  to  show  that  I  had  the  best  possible  means  of 
knowing  him,  and  that  what  I  say  in  his  praise  is  not  the  mere 
outpouring  of  friendly  regard,  but  is  based  upon  long  associa- 
tion and  the  closest  personal  observation  and  knowledge. 

He  was  truly  a  model  soldier  and  a  most  chivalric  gentleman, 
who  carried  with  him  through  life  and  "  into  the  Silent  Land  " 
his  purity  of  soul  and  character  unspotted  by  the  world  and  its 
temptations.  Throughout  his  career  he  was  equal  to  all  emer- 
gencies, combining,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  perfect  courage 
and  promptitude  in  all  his  undertakings,  with  the  most  thor- 
ough good  sense  and  soundness  of  judgment.  He  was  a  few 
years  my  senior,  though  still  under  thirty,  when  I  first  knew 
him,  and,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  had  been  only  two  years 
a  soldier,  he  was  already  widely  noted  for  his  exact  and  exten- 


ADJUTANT-GENERAL  AND  CHIEF  OF  STAFF.          9 

sive  knowledge  of  all  branches  of  the  military  calling.  He 
was  a  most  competent  and  laborious  Adjutant-General  and 
Chief  of  Staff,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and 
dashing  cavalry  officers  I  ever  met.  He  was  a  hard  and  rapid 
hitter  ;  methodical,  careful  and  prudent,  looking  out  for  his  men 
and  horses  with  just  as  much  care  as  he  did  for  his  papers  and 
records,  but  never  failing  to  go  for  the  enemy  with  all  his  might 
and  all  his  men  when  opportunity  offered.  He  never  believed 
in  or  adopted  half  measures ;  but,  with  the  true  instincts  of  a 
born  soldier,  carried  everybody  he  could  control  with  him  into 
action,  and  scarcely  ever  failed  to  do  what  was  expected  of  him. 
He  never  said  "  I  can't,"  but  always  "  I'll  try,"  and  that,  with 
his  grave  and  composed  but  virile  and  vigorous  manner  to  back 
it,  meant  "  I'll  do  it  if  it  is  within  the  range  of  human  possibility 
and  my  life  is  spared."  He  was  one  of  those  level-headed, 
sensible  men  with  the  fighting  attributes  so  deeply  bedded  in 
his  nature  that  it  never  occurred  to  him  to  dodge  an  adventure, 
however  desperate,  to  hesitate  about  it,  or  to  say  "  Go,"  but 
always  and  everywhere,  "Follow  me;"  and  those  of  us  who 
watched  his  career  and  survive  him  know  that  it  took  a  stout- 
hearted and  strong-limbed  man  indeed  to  get  deeper  into  a 
battle  than  he.  With  the  spirit  of  a  true  Kentuckian,  as  he 
was,  he  was  always  well,  and  generally  superbly,  mounted,  and 
thus  with  his  fine  physique,  his  excellent  trappings  and  his 
spirited  charger,  he  was  a  perfect  cavalier,  not  light  and  flashy, 
but  steady-going,  robust  and  invincible.  It  was  a  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  to  see  him  leading  his  men  into  action,  for  it  was  cer- 


io  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

tain  that  he  had  made  all  proper  preparation,  that  he  would  per- 
form his  whole  duty  regularly  and  in  order,  and  that  he  would 
carry  everything  before  him  if  flesh  and  blood  could  do  it. 

He  had  an  Arab's  love  for  his  horse,  and  his  letters  are  full 
of  allusions  to  "  Max,"  who  fell  at  Columbus,  Ga.,  and  "  Bay- 
ard," who  lost  a  lock  of  his  hair  by  a  bullet  before  Atlanta,  but 
there  was  no  animal  to  which  he  felt  so  strong  an  attachment 
as  the  "  Black  Sluggard."  This  horse  had  been  raised  by  Mr. 
Blair,  at  Silver  Spring,  and  received  his  name  from  Mrs.  Blair, 
who  called  him  after  "  Le  Noir  Faineant,"  in  "  Ivanhoe,"  whom 
she  declared  he  strongly  resembled  in  character.  He  came 
into  Alexander's  possession  in  '62,  and  was  his  companion  in 
many  a  well-fought  fight,  was  wounded  a  number  of  times, 
but  ever  displayed  a  courage  and  indifference  to  danger  worthy 
of  his  gallant  rider.  Alexander  lent  him  to  General  Stoneman 
to  ride  during  his  famous  raid,  as  he  was  so  much  more  reliable 
than  any  other  horse  in  the  command,  and  Stoneman  would 
often  come  into  camp  at  night  with  the  pockets  of  his  blouse 
stuffed  with  ears  of  corn  for  the  favored  charger. 

When  Alexander  was  ordered  West  in  the  spring  of  1 864, 
he  sent  his  old  war-horse  to  his  fiancee  at  Willowbrook,  and 
wrote  as  follows  : 

"  The  old  Sluggard  and  I  parted  to-day — he  has  been  my 
companion  in  many  dangers,  hardships  and  trials,  and  has  in 
many  cases  proved  himself  my  best  friend.  We  knew  one  an- 
other so  well,  and  I  loved  him  so  dearly,  that  I  tell  you  it  was  a 
trial  to  part  with  him  ;  but  then  I  know  I  shall  see  him  again, 


THE  BLA  CK  SL  UGGA  RD.  1 1 

and  I  am  sure  you  will  take  good  care  of  him  for  my  sake  and 
for  his  past  gallantry.  He  is  on  the  '  retired  list,'  and  the  old 
war-worn  veteran  will  have  no  greater  hardship  than  to  amble 
quietly  along  the  shores  of  the  beautiful  Owasco  with  a  loving 
girl  on  his  back.  He  will  hear  no  more  the  cannon's  loud  roar, 
and  the  bursting  shell ;  he  will  mingle  no  more  in  the  madden- 
ing charge  mid  pistol-shots  and  shouts,  and  groans  and  clashing 
of  sabers.  No  more  glory  for  him  ;  but  it  makes  me  glad  to 
think  that  in  his  old  age  he  will  not  have  to  submit  to  the 
ignoble  collar  nor  pass  his  declining  days  in  starvation  and 
misery — I  would  have  shot  him  first ! " 

For  many  years  the  Black  Sluggard  was  a  familiar  form  at 
Willowbrook  and  Auburn,  where  his  "military  history"  elicited 
much  interest.  When  old- age  made  him  no  longer  serviceable, 
he  was  tenderly  cared  for,  and  in  the  summer  time  wandered 
at  will  in  the  grove  at  Willowbrook.  The  battle  of  life  was 
ended  for  him  in  June,  1877.  He  was  buried  under  the  oak 
trees  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  when  "  Decoration  Day  " 
comes  round  the  little  children  do  not  forget  to  strew  his  grave 
with  flowers. 

Alexander  was,  withal,  an  excellent  disciplinarian — neither 
negligent  nor  a  martinet,  but  a  thoughtful,  serious  man  who 
consulted  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  those  under  him,  as 
well  as  the  interests  of  the  Service  and  the  requirements  of  the 
Army  Regulations.  The  possession  of  the  high  qualities  which 
I  have  attributed  to  him  was  not  an  accident ;  they  came  by 
inheritance  as  much  as  by  study  and  training. 


1 2  A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

His  father,  Andrew  Jonathan  Alexander,  of  Sherwood, 
Woodford  County,  Kentucky,  was  the  fourth  son  of  William 
Alexander,  son  of  Lord  Provost  Alexander,  M.  P.,  and  Marianne 
de  la  Croix,  who  was  born  at  his  father's  country  seat  of  Airdrie, 
between  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  in  1 729  ;  and  after  the  death 
of  his  first  wife,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  six  daughters, 
the  first  of  which  was  Sir  William  Alexander,  a  lawyer  of  dis- 
tinction, who  rose  to  be  Lord  Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer 
and  Member  of  the  Privy  Council,  he  emigrated  to  Virginia 
in  1 783,  and  finally  settled  at  Staunton,  where  he  lived  till 
1811,  when  he  removed  to  Kentucky.  He  took  an  important 
social  and  business  position,  and  married  for  his  second  wife, 
Agatha  de  la  Porte,  belonging  to  an  ancient  family  of  Montpel- 
lier.  She  was  the  niece  of  Count  de  Tu  Bceuf,  who  emigrated 
from  France  before  the  Revolution,  and  settled  with  his  sister's 
children  and  his  retainers  in  the  Clinch  Mountains,  where  he  was 
murdered  and  robbed  under  tragic  circumstances  by  the  lawless 
frontiersmen  of  the  neighborhood.  The  history  of  Count  de 
Tu  Bceuf  and  his  sister,  Madame  de  la  Porte,  who  with  her  son, 
an  ex-captain  of  the  King's  Guard,  and  her  two  daughters,  tried 
to  carry  the  civilization  and  refinements  of  Paris  into  the  mount- 
ains of  Southwestern  Virginia,  might  well  be  made  the  founda- 
tion of  a  historical  story  more  interesting  than  any  romance, 
but  we  leave  that  for  the  hand  of  another  and  pass  on  to  the 
history  of  a  later  generation. 

William  Alexander  had  by  Agatha  de  la  Porte,  six  chil- 
dren :  John,  Regis,  Andrew,  Charles,  James  and  Apolline  Aga- 


FAMILY  CONNECTIONS.  13 

tha,  who  intermarried  with  the  leading  families  of  Virginia. 
William  Alexander  died  at  his  seat  in  Woodford  County,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1819.  His  fourth  son,  Andrew  Jonathan,  married 
Mira  Madison,  the  daughter  of  Major  (afterward  Governor- 
elect)  George  Madison,  of  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  on  the  28th  of 
April,  1822.  Major  Madison  was  the  nephew  of  President 
James  Madison,  and  was  a  gentleman  of  high  character  and  edu- 
cation. He  took  an  honorable  part  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  the  River  Raisin,  where  he  was  taken 
prisoner.  He  was  carried  to  Quebec,  where  he  was  kept  in  con- 
finement till  peace  was  made,  and  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Kentucky  so  broken  in  health  that  he  never  recovered.  On 
account  of  his  services  and  high  character  he  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor of  Kentucky,  but  died  before  the  time  set  for  his  inaugu- 
ration. 

Mr.  Francis  P.  Blair,  of  Silver  Spring,  wrote  in  1863: 
"  George  Madison  was  one  of  the  best  and  bravest  men  I  ever 
knew.  He  was  modest,  unambitious  and  unselfish  ;  but  when 
Clay  and  all  the  distinguished  men  of  Kentucky  were  in  their 
zenith,  not  one  of  them  could  have  commanded  the  undivided 
vote  of  her  keen-eyed  sons  for  the  chief  magistracy  as  he  did." 
Andrew  Jonathan  Alexander  and  Mira  Madison  had  six  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  childhood,  the  oldest  surviving  one 
of  which,  Agatha  Apolline,  married  Frank  P.  Blair,  afterward 
the  well-known  and  distinguished  Member  of  Congress  from 
Missouri,  and  a  gallant  and  successful  Major-General  of  Volun-. 
teers  in  the  United  States  Army. 


14  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

The  eldest  son,  George  Madison  Alexander,  married  his 
cousin,  Mary  Victoire  Campbell,  of  Paducah,  Kentucky,  a 
granddaughter  of  Victoire  de  la  Porte — second  daughter  of 
Madame  de  la  Porte.  Compelled  by  ill  health  to  seek  a  drier 
climate,  he  made  his  home  for  many  years  in  New  Mexico,  and 
his  memory  is  still  cherished  by  the  early  settlers  of  that  wild 
country,  who  appreciated  the  purity  and  unselfishness  of  his 
character,  as  well  as  his  reckless  courage.  He  succumbed  at 
last  to  the  disease  that  had  so  long  threatened  him,  and  died 
in  1866,  leaving  no  children.  Another  sister,  Mira  Mariamne, 
married  Franklin  A.  Dick,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  high  standing  at 
Washington  and  Philadelphia.  The  youngest  member  of  this 
family  was  Andrew  Jonathan  Alexander,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  was  born  at  Sherwood,  Woodford  County,  Ken 
tucky,  Nov.  21,  1833.  He  married  Evelina  Throop  Martin, 
of  Willowbrook,  near  Auburn,  New  York,  and  leaves  one  son, 
Upton  Alexander,  named  for  his  uncle,  Maj.-Gen.  Emory 
Upton,  who  commanded  the  Fourth  Division  of  the  Cavalry 
Corps  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi. 

William  Alexander,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this  coun- 
try, it  should  be  observed,  left  his  eldest  son  and  several  daugh- 
ters in  Scotland.  His  daughter  Isabella  married  John  Hankey, 
of  London,  England,  and  one  of  their  daughters  married 
Colonel  Seymour  Bathurst  and  was  the  mother  of  the  present 
Earl  of  Bathurst. 

Mariamne  married  Jonathan  Williams,  the  nephew  and 
private  secretary  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  Their  daughter 


FAMILY  CONNECTIONS.  15 

Christine  married  Thomas  Biddle,  of  Philadelphia,  and  their 
son  Henry  married  Julia  Rush,  the  daughter  of  the  celebrated 
Doctor  Benjamin  Rush.*  Apolline,  his  youngest  daughter  by 
his  second  marriage,  married  Mr.  Thompson  Hankey,  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Bank  of  England  and  Member  of  Parliament. 
He  was  the  nephew  of  John  Hankey,  the  husband  of  Isabella, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living  in  London.  By  these  mar- 
riages, and  others  not  mentioned  here,  it  will  be  seen  that 
General  Alexander  was  connected  with  many  distinguished 
men  and  women  in  both  Europe  and  America.  He  was 
cousin  to  the  Biddies,  Madisons,  Prestons,  Blairs,  Browns, 
Williamses,  Hankeys,  and  even  to  noble  families  of  both  France 
and  England,  and  it  is  but  faint  praise  to  say  that  he  was  the 
peer  of  the  best  of  them. 

His  father  died  by  an  accident  at  a  mill  on  his  estate,  and 
his  mother,  shortly  afterward,  from  grief  and  improper  medical 
treatment,  lost  her  eyesight.  The  devotion  of  her  children 
and  kindred,  and  her  deep  religious  faith,  sustained  her  in  this 
dark  hour,  and  enabled  her  to  rise  above  her  misfortunes  and 
to  discharge  with  wonderful  ability  her  duties  as  a  mother  and 
the  mistress  of  a  large  establishment.  Mrs.  Alexander,  like 
many  humane  and  intelligent  Southerners,  was  strongly  op- 
posed to  slavery,  and  though  she  had  inherited  a  large  number 
of  slaves,  and  received  from  them  a  faithful  and  devoted  serv- 
ice, which  was  invaluable  to  her,  from  time  to  time,  as  they 
were  prepared  to  care  for  themselves,  she  gave  them  their  free- 

*  House  of  Alexander,  p.  33,  et  seq,,  Vol.  II. 


16        A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

dom,  and  they  were  all  emancipated  several  years  before  our 
late  War.  When  she  removed  from  Kentucky  to  St.  Louis  in 
1850,  some  forty  of  them  followed  her  there,  where  they  might 
still  experience  the  benefit  of  her  kind  interest  in  them. 

She  resided  in  St.  Louis,  respected  and  revered  by  all  who 
knew  her  till  her  death  in  the  autumn  of  1886.  Her  son 
Andrew,  together  with  his  brother  and  sisters,  were  carefully 
educated  at  home,  in  English,  French,  and  the  classics,  by  the 
most  accomplished  tutors,  one  of  whom  was  the  Rev.  James 
Eells,  well  known  in  San  Francisco  and  the  East.  Later  An- 
drew attended  college  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  and  then  returned 
to  St.  Louis,  where  he  had  already  begun  a  business  career 
when  the  Rebellion  broke  out. 

Throwing  aside  all  private  interests  and  personal  considera- 
tions, he  made  haste,  as  soon  as  it  was  certain  there  was 
to  be  a  War,  to  enter  the  Army  as  Second  Lieutenant, 
and  was  promoted  the  same  day  to  First  Lieutenant  in  the 
First  Regiment  of  Mounted  Rifles,  which  subsequently  became 
known  as  the  Third  (regular)  Cavalry.  He  reported  promptly 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  was  shortly  afterward  ordered  to 
Washington  for  duty  on  the  staff  of  General  McClellan,  with 
whom  he  served  till  General  Stoneman,  with  a  force  of  cavalry, 
infantry  and  artillery  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  Confederate 
Army,  which  had  fallen  back  in  March,  1862,  from  Manassas 
Junction  to  the  Rappahannock  River.  So  strongly  had  Alex- 
ander, although  scarcely  yet  out  of  the  ways  of  civil  life,  im- 
pressed himself  already  upon  those  with  whom  he  had  been 


ACTING  AS  REAR-GUARD.  17 

brought  in  contact,  that  he  was  designated  to  act  as  As- 
sistant Adjutant-General  of  the  force.  Custer,  then  also  a 
Lieutenant,  and  many  other  young  Regular  officers,  were 
with  the  command,  but  the  choice  for  this  most  important 
position  fell  upon  the  young  soldier  from  civil  life,  and 
fully  did  his  behavior  then  and  afterward  justify  the  com- 
manding General  in  his  selection.  In  addition  to  perform- 
ing all  of  the  usual  duties  of  his  office,  he  took  an  active 
part  in  the  practical  operations  of  the  campaign,  and  in 
person  commanded  the  rear-guard,  as  the  column  withdrew 
from  its  advanced  position  to  Alexandria,  preparatory  to 
embarking  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  for  the  Peninsula. 
During  this  expedition  he  was  accompanied  by  Captain,  the 
Count  de  Villarceau,  of  the  French  Army,  who  was  also  serv- 
ing at  that  time  on  the  staff  of  General  McClellan,  and  upon 
more  than  one  occasion  has  entertained  his  friends  with  an 
amusing  account  of  how,  while  acting  as  rear-guard,  in  the 
hurry  of  the  return  march,  the  one  lost  a  dinner,  and  the  other 
ate  it. 

Alexander  accompanied  General  McClellan  to  the  Penin- 
sula, and,  with  General  Stoneman,  took  part  in  all  the  cavalry 
operations  of  the  campaign.  He  was  present  at  the  siege  of 
Yorktown,  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  from  that  place,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Williamsburg.  He  carried  orders  day  and  night,  and 
on  the  night  after  the  battle  was  sent  by  McClellan  with  impor- 
tant orders  to  General  Heintzelman,  commanding  the  Third 
Corps,  then  six  or  seven  miles  away.  The  woods  were  almost 


i8  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

impenetrable,  the  roads  indistinct,  and  the  ground  everywhere 
soft  and  muddy,  and  hence  he  did  not  get  back  till  about  mid- 
night. He  found  headquarters  in  a  small  house,  the  floors  of 
which  were  covered  with  sleeping  officers,  and  among  them  the 
French  Princes.  General  McClellan  occupied  the  only  bed, 
and  after  receiving  Alexander's  report,  for  which  purpose  he  had 
been  awakened,  with  that  thoughtful  kindliness  which  so  en- 
deared the  General  to  those  about  him,  he  invited  the  tired  staff 
officer  to  lie  down  beside  him.  But,  wet  and  muddy  as  he  was, 
the  latter  declined  ;  the  General  insisted,  and  finally  the  Cap- 
tain yielded,  and  slept  soundly  till  about  3  o'clock,  when  he 
was  called  by  Colonel  Colburn,  the  officer  of  the  night,  to  tell 
another  aide-de-camp  how  to  find  Hancock's  camp.  Failing  to 
make  the  latter  understand,  he  had  a  fresh  horse  saddled,  and 
finished  the  night  floundering  about  in  the  darkness  and  mud, 
but  reaching  Hancock's  camp  at  daylight. 

I  have  related  this  incident,  not  only  because  it  shows  the 
kind  of  work  an  aide-de-camp  was  called  upon  frequently  to  per- 
form, and  how  Alexander  did  it,  but  because  it  also  illustrates 
one  of  the  personal  characteristics  by  which  General  McClellan 
gained  such  an  extraordinary  hold  upon  the  officers  who  served 
with  or  near  him.  Certainly  no  General  was  ever  more  affec- 
tionate or  considerate  to  his  staff  or  to  the  Army  under  him, 
and  it  may  well  be  doubted  if  any  General  was  ever  more 
loyally  or  lovingly  served  than  he  was,  and  the  reason  for 
which  may  be  partly  understood  from  this  otherwise  trivial 
circumstance. 


THE  BATTLE-FIELD  OF  WILLIAMSBURG.  19 

After  delivering  his  orders  to  Hancock,  Alexander  rode 
over  the  bloody  battle-field  of  the  day  before,  and  saw  for  the 
first  time  the  mangled  forms  of  the  dead  soldiers,  whose  com- 
rades were  hurrying  them  into  their  hastily  prepared  graves, 
and  so  profoundly  was  he  moved  by  the  distressing  sight, 
strong  and  vigorous  as  he  was,  that  he  was  overcome  by 
nausea,  and  compelled  to  dismount  till  the  fit  had  passed  away. 
Further  on  he  records  the  fact  that  the  road  near  the  old  city 
of  Williamsburg  was  so  muddy  that  the  ambulances,  laden  with 
Confederate  dead  and  wounded,  had  stuck  in  the  mire,  and 
that  the  drivers  had  lightened  them  of  their  ghastly  burden  by 
throwing  out  the  helpless  bodies,  which  the  retreating  artillery 
and  baggage  wagons  had  crushed  and  trampled  almost  out  of 
shape.  At  more  than  one  spot  he  saw  arms  and  legs  protrud- 
ing, and  thus  came  to  know  too  well,  that  the  poor  bodies  of  his 
devoted  but  erring  countrymen,  were  covered  by  the  ooze  of 
that  horrid  road.  But  it  was  no  time  for  sentiment  or  delay, 
and  so  he  pressed  on  with  the  advance-guard,  which  he  had 
joined.  The  Confederates,  in  the  hurry  of  their  retreat,  had 
not  failed  to  plant  torpedoes  in  the  road  farther  on,  and  they 
were  so  arranged  as  to  explode  under  the  feet  of  the  passing 
cavalry,  but  this  did  no  serious  injury. 

For  the  next  twenty  days  Alexander  was  engaged  almost 
constantly  in  skirmishing  with  the  enemy.  At  Slater's  Mill  he 
took  part  in  a  sharp  fight,  in  which  quite  a  large  number  were 
killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides.  He  captured  a  rebel  officer 
in  personal  combat,  and  took  from  him  a  Colt's  revolver,  his 


20  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

first  trophy,  which  he  carried  to  the  end  of  the  War.  During 
this  period  he  visited  the  house  in  which  Mrs.  Custis  lived 
when  General  Washington  courted  her,  and  the  old  church, 
built  of  bricks  imported  from  England,  in  which  they  were 
married.  Near  here,  also,  under  orders  from  headquarters,  he 
arrested  Major  Lawrence  Williams,  of  the  Regular  Army,  for 
treasonable  correspondence  with  the  enemy.  This  officer  was 
a  cousin  of  the  Lees,  had  gone  beyond  our  picket  line,  and 
was  fired  upon  by  some  of  his  own  men  as  he  returned.  Alex- 
ander took  him  under  guard  to  General  McClellan  the  next 
day,  but  the  latter,  for  reasons  satisfactory  to  himself,  re- 
leased him.  He  did  some  good  service  during  the  next 
month,  but  his  heart  was  not  with  the  flag,  and  so  he  obtained 
leave  of  absence,  went  North,  and  shortly  afterward,  it  is  said, 
deserted  and  joined  the  Confederates.  About  the  same  time 
his  brother  was  caught,  tried  and  executed  as  a  spy  by  the 
National  forces  in  Tennessee. 

The  activity  of  Alexander  was  displayed  during  the  Penin- 
sular campaign  in  many  ways.  Not  content  with  what  he  could 
learn  by  scouting,  he  made  an  ascent  in  one  of  the  balloons, 
which  was  used  for  the  first  time  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  for  purposes  of  observing  what  was  going 
on  in  the  enemy's  lines.  From  his  high  but  unsteady  seat  he 
obtained  his  first  and  only  view  of  Richmond  and  its  immediate 
surroundings.  While  lying  at  Mechanicsville  he  carried  a  flag 
of  truce  every  other  day,  to  a  cross-road,  a  few  miles  farther 
west,  where  he  was  met  by  one  from  the  Confederate  lines. 


UNDER  FLAG  OF  TRUCE.  21 

Each  officer  was  accompanied  by  about  a  hundred  men,  and 
Alexander  always  took  particular  pains  to  see  that  his  were 
carefully  selected,  well-mounted,  and  clad  in  their  best  uniforms. 
After  leaving  the  lines,  he  sent  fonvard  a  white  flag,  carried  by 
a  corporal,  with  three  men  to  act  as  an  advance-guard,  and  to 
keep  a  look-out  for  the  Confederate  flag  of  truce.  As  soon  as 
they  got  within  a  hundred  yards  of  each  other  the  escorts  were 
halted,  and  the  officers  advanced  to  exchange  their  dispatches 
and  to  transact  such  other  business  as  might  have  been  com- 
mitted to  them.  At  these  meetings  it  was  customary,  after 
planting  the  flags  at  the  cross-roads,  for  each  officer  to  throw 
out  a  picket  toward  his  own  Army,  and  to  allow  the  men  of  his 
escort  to  mingle  with  those  of  the  other  in  the  friendliest  man- 
ner. Upon  such  occasions  they  passed  the  time  in  telling 
stories,  playing  cards,  and  even  in  running  horse-races,  while  the 
officers  withdrew  to  a  house  near  by,  and  shared  their  flasks, 
luncheon,  and  such  fruits  as  they  could  obtain,  as  though  they 
were  brothers  in  arms,  instead  of  unrelenting  enemies.  While 
thus  engaged,  it  was  almost  impossible  for  them  to  realize  that 
within  an  hour  they  might  be  trying  to  kill  or  capture  each 
other.  On  one  of  these  excursions  Alexander  escorted  Mrs. 
Robert  E.  Lee  and  her  daughter  beyond  our  lines,  and  received 
from  them  a  graceful  acknowledgment  of  his  courteous  civility. 
Two  days  before  the  battle  of  Hanover  Court  House  he  was 
sent  with  a  squadron  of  cavalry  and  one  gun  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  reconnoissance  of  the  railroad  running  north  from 
Richmond,  and  the  next  day  went  with  General  Stoneman  and 


22  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

a  large  cavalry  force  to  break  and  destroy  it,  while  General  Fitz- 
John  Porter  marched  out  and  fought  the  battle  of  Hanover 
Court  House.  During  these  operations,  and  those  which  fol- 
lowed, Alexander  was  kept  constantly  occupied,  and  showed 
himself  to  be  a  handy  and  enterprising  cavalryman,  always  on  the 
alert,  and  always  ready  to  take  any  reasonable  risk  in  order  to 
ascertain  what  the  enemy  were  doing.  From  "  Old  Church"  he 
discovered  and  reported  the  advance  of  Jackson's  celebrated 
turning  movement,  which  resulted  in  the  bloody  battle  and 
defeat  of  Porter's  corps  at  Games'  Mill.  This  movement 
between  the  main  Army  and  Stoneman  rendered  it  necessary 
for  the  latter  to  fall  back  to  Deep  Creek,  in  the  direction  of  the 
White  House,  on  the  Pamunkey  River,  and  was  the  principal 
cause  which  compelled  McClellan  to  abandon  his  railroad  line 
to  the  rear,  and  change  his  base  to  the  James  River.  The 
next  day  Stoneman  took  up  a  position  at  the  White  House, 
where  the  sutlers  had  collected  a  large  quantity  of  stores,  for 
sale  to  the  troops,  and  where  there  were  also  many  regular  sup- 
plies belonging  to  the  quartermaster  and  commissary  depart- 
ments, all  under  the  nominal  protection  of  a  considerable  force 
of  infantry  and  artillery,  commanded  by  an  old  officer  of  the 
Regular  Army.  The  enemy  followed  the  cavalry  to  that  place, 
and  General  Stoneman  sent  Alexander  to  the  officer  just  men- 
tioned with  the  proposition  that  they  should  unite  their  forces 
and  give  battle,  but  the  old  General  received  this  proposition 
with  tears,  instead  of  ready  acquiescence,  accompanied  by  the 
declaration  that  McClellan  had  treated  him  badly  and  he  would 


RETREAT  TO  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  23 

not  fight.  As  a  consequence,  Alexander  was  directed  to  set 
fire  to  the  property,  and  in  a  few  minutes  after  he  had  given 
the  necessary,  orders  and  distributed  matches,  the  whole  plain 
was  ablaze.  The  White  House  caught  fire,  or  was  set  afire 
without  orders,  and  the  troops  marched  many  miles  in  the 
direction  of  Yorktown,  by  the  light  which  illuminated  the  hori- 
zon till  far  into  the  night.  This  destruction,  it  is  now  known, 
was  premature,  if  not  entirely  unnecessary,  as  it  is  certain  that 
the  position  might  easily  have  been  held  against  any  hostile 
force  in  the  vicinity  till  all  the  property  had  been  removed 
to  a  place  of  safety. 

Of  course  Alexander,  being  only  a  staff  officer  and  having  no 
independent  authority,  was  powerless  to  fight  a  battle,  or  even 
to  delay  the  retreat  of  the  united  forces.  He  accordingly 
accompanied  them  to  Yorktown,  and,  after  his  own  chief  had 
gone  to  Washington,  became  attached  to  the  staff  of  General 
James  J.  Van  Alen,  in  command  of  the  defenses  at  the  former 
place.  During  the  campaign  he  had  worn  out  or  lost  all  of  his 
clothes  except  those  upon  his  person,  but  he  lost  no  time  in 
re-equipping  himself,  and  at  the  end  of  two  weeks,  with  a  small 
detachment  of  cavalrymen,  he  rejoined  General  McClellan  at 
Harrison's  Landing  on  the  James  River.  He  accompanied  the 
headquarters  of  the  Army  to  Alexandria  in  August,  and,  almost 
immediately  after  his  arrival  at  that  place,  was  attached  to  the 
staff  of  General  Banks,  commanding  the  troops  for  the  defense 
of  Washington.  So  acceptably  did  he  perform  the  duties 
assigned  him  that  when  Banks  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans  he 


24        A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

asked  Alexander  to  accept  a  place  as  a  permanent  member  of 
his  staff,  but,  perceiving  that  he  was  not  likely  to  gain  much 
credit  in  that  service,  he  declined,  and  in  October  following 
was  assigned  to  duty  as  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  the 
Third  Army  Corps,  then  encamped  under  the  command  of  his 
old  chief,  General  Stoneman,  near  Pooleville,  Maryland.  This 
assignment  gave  him  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  from  the 
ist  of  January,  1863,  and  along  with  it  still  harder  work  and 
greater  responsibilities.  He  not  only  assisted  in  bringing  the 
Corps  to  the  high  degree  of  efficiency  it  afterward  reached,  but 
did  much  hard  riding  from  one  wing  of  the  Army  to  the 
other.  About  this  time  he  was  offered  an  assignment  to  the 
Quartermaster's  Department  but  promptly  and  unhesitatingly 
declined  it,  for  the  more  congenial  service  which  brought  him 
into  closer  relations  with  the  troops  and  their  operations  in  the 
field. 

From  camp  near  Leesburg  he  made  a  rapid  night  march 
with  a  squadron  of  Rhode  Island  cavalry  to  arrest  the  Confed- 
erate, Major  Fairfax,  who  was  reputed  to  be  visiting  his  wife 
near  Aldie,  some  twenty  miles  away.  He  executed  the  task 
assigned  him  with  such  celerity  and  good  judgment  that  neither 
the  Major  nor  his  family  could  fairly  realize  how  it  had  been 
done  or  that  he  was  really  a  prisoner.  After  a  friendly  and 
bountiful  breakfast  with  the  Major's  wife  and  children,  and 
from  his  kitchen,  they  returned  to  the  Union  lines,  where  the 
prisoner  was  detained  as  his  captor's  guest  till  he  was  regularly 
paroled  and  released.  He  remained  at  home  till  duly  ex- 


THE  FREDERICKSBURG  CAMPAIGN.  25 

changed,  but  took  occasion  to  pay  it  a  flying  visit  after  the  cav- 
alry battle  of  Beverly  Ford.  Alexander  appeared  upon  the 
scene  again,  but  seeing  him  coming  and  recognizing  the  tall  and 
handsome  cavalryman,  the  good  wife  exclaimed,  laughingly  : 
"  You  are  just  fifteen  minutes  too  late  this  time,  Colonel ;  my 
husband,  fearing  that  you  would  be  around,  has  gone,  and  is 
now  safely  beyond  pursuit." 

The  relief  of  General  McClellan  and  the  assignment  of 
General  Burnside  to  command  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
surprised  Alexander  as  much  as  it  did  his  seniors.  A  change 
was  not  unexpected,  but  popular  as  Burnside  was,  for  his 
amiability  and  gallant  bearing,  neither  officers  nor  men  re- 
garded him  as  capable  of  leading  them  to  victory.  The 
bloody  fiasco  of  Fredericksburg  was  looked  upon  as  the  nat- 
ural result  of  his  incompetency.  Alexander  took  part  in  all 
the  operations  of  his  own  corps  during  the  campaign,  and  a 
short  time  before  his  death  wrote  and  published  in  the  Phila- 
delphia Press*  a  spirited  account  of  the  incidents  of  the  battle 
that  came  under  his  observation.  He  was  present  on  that  part 
of  the  field  where  General  Bayard  was  killed.  While  talking 
to  that  gallant  and  promising  officer,  whom  he  had  known 
before  the  war,  the  enemy  opened  a  sharp  fire  from  several 
batteries,  and  the  shot  and  shell  poured  into  the  grove  where 
they  were  standing.  Bayard  paid  but  little  attention  to  the 
firing,  and  continued  chatting  as  though  there  were  no  danger. 
The  rest  of  the  party  sought  shelter.  Alexander,  who  was 

*  For  this  paper  entire,  see  Appendix. 


26        A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

waiting  orders,  and  could  not  leave,  stepped  toward  a  large 
tree  just  in  front,  and  had  not  reached  it  when  a  shot  rico- 
cheted near  him,  glanced  from  the  tree,  and  crushed  Bayard's 
hip  in  its  passage  in  such  a  shocking  manner  that  he  died  from 
its  effects  the  next  day. 

Alexander,  in  the  article  above  alluded  to,  also  describes  a 
remarkable  truce  which  the  troops  of  the  opposing  lines  volun- 
tarily entered  into  the  next  day,  and  as  it  is  a  curious  and 
interesting  incident  of  the  war,  I  append  it  substantially  as  it 
was  written : 

"  Before  daylight  the  next  morning,"  says  Alexander,  "we 
were  again  under  arms  expecting  to  renew  the  struggle,  but, 
to  our  surprise,  the  skirmishers  continued  silent.  In  a  short 
time  it  was  reported  that  they  had,  without  consultation  with 
their  superiors,  agreed  to  suspend  hostilities  till  their  dead  and 
wounded  comrades,  who  lay  between  the  lines,  could  be 
removed.  The  opponents  at  once  mingled  in  the  most 
amicable  way  and  began  their  work  of  mercy.  As  such  a  truce 
was  contrary  to  the  customs  of  war  the  officers  from  both  sides 
rushed  among  the  men,  making  the  most  strenuous  efforts  to 
restore  order.  But  the  men's  warlike  instincts  had,  no  doubt, 
been  softened  by  the  groans  and  cries  of  their  wounded  com- 
rades during  the  stillness  of  the  long  night,  and  no  efforts  to 
bring  about  a  state  of  hostilities  could  prevail  till  the  wounded 
and  dead  were  removed.  Regular  details  were  then  made 
and  the  truce  continued,  during  which  rebel  soldiers  were 
seen  to  carry  our  wounded  into  our  lines  and  our  soldiers 


MEETING  WITH  GENERAL  J.  E.  B.  STUART.          27 

to  bear  wounded  rebels  back  into  the  rebel  lines.  With  this 
generous  rivalry  the  wounded  were  all  speedily  cared  for." 

Alexander  was  himself  one  of  the  officers  who  had  gone 
forward  to  ascertain  what  was  going  on,  and  was  with  the 
white  flags  which  had  been  planted  midway  between  the  hostile 
armies,  when  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  the  Confederate  cavalry 
leader,  also  came  forward  and  took  part  in  the  pathetic  truce. 
"  He  was  then,"  in  the  words  of  Alexander,  "  at  the  height  of 
his  military  reputation,  and  was  the  object  of  curiosity  and 
admiration  to  the  Confederate  as  well  as  the  Union  troops,  as 
could  be  seen  by  the  groups  of  men  of  both  armies  who 
stopped  and  stared  at  him.  He  presented  a  very  martial 
appearance,  being  dressed  in  a  new  suit  of  bluish-gray  cloth, 
with  the  gaudy  insignia  of  his  rank  on  sleeves  and  collar,  a 
pair  of  handsome  new  horseman's  boots,  with  gold  spurs  at- 
tached, and  a  broad-brimmed  felt  hat  from  which  drooped  a 
long  but  rather  seedy  ostrich  plume.  While  talking  he  rested 
on  and  played  with  a  handsome,  long  French  saber.  Alto- 
gether, he  was  a  very  striking  figure,  to  which  his  great  reputa- 
tion as  a  cavalry  officer  added  much  interest." 

As  soon  as  the  killed  and  wounded  were  removed  this 
extraordinary  truce  came  to  an  end  in  the  same  spontaneous 
manner  that  it  originated,  but  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  no  fight- 
ing took  place  on  that  part  of  the  field  that  day,  although  a 
heavy  battle  was  in  progress  within  a  half-mile  while  the  truce 
was  in  force.  Alexander  and  the  other  officers  returned  to 
their  posts,  and  were  busy  all  that  night  in  withdrawing  the 


28  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

Union  troops  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock  River. 
The  next  morning  he  and  a  party  of  his  brother  officers  rode 
out  into  the  open  ground  overlooking  the  river  to  see  what  the 
enemy  were  doing.  Their  skirmishers  were  advancing,  and  one 
battery,  seeing  the  group  of  horsemen,  opened  a  spiteful  fire 
upon  them,  whereupon  the  latter  "turned  their  backs  finally 
and  cheerfully  upon  the  bloody  battle-field  of  Fredericksburg," 
and  galloped  into  the  woods,  which  happily  obscured  them 
from  view,  and  shielded  them  from  further  danger. 

The  Army  returned  at  once  to  its  former  camps  and  went 
into  winter  quarters,  where  it  remained  till  called  out  to  make 
another  abortive  movement,  which  became  known  to  the  officers 
who  took  part  in  it,  if  not  to  history,  as  "  Burnside's  Mud 
March."  Alexander  shared  its  rests  and  its  labors  till  General 
Burnside  was  relieved  and  General  Hooker  took  command ; 
and,  in  commenting  upon  it,  he  says  it  gave  "  satisfaction  to 
the  Army,  which  felt  that  nothing  but  disaster  awaited  them 
under  Burnside,  and  that  no  other  commander  could  be  worse." 
He  adds,  what  was  the  common  opinion  at  that  time,  "  Burn- 
side  was  an  amiable,  gallant  gentleman,  but  without  military 
ability,  and  too  much  subject  to  political  influence." 

General  Hooker  at  once  resorted  to  every  possible  measure 
to  restore  the  morale  of  the  Army,  and,  among  others,  to  the 
organization  of  the  cavalry  into  a  separate  corps.  As  is  well 
known,  it  had,  up  to  that  time,  been  scattered  about  in  small 
bodies,  engaged  mostly  in  picketing  and  scouting,  and  had 
been  a  laughing-stock  and  a  reproach  to  the  Army.  General 


ASSISTANT  ADJUTANT-GENERAL.  29 

Stoneman  was  assigned  to  command  it,  and  at  once  selected 
Alexander  as  its  Adjutant-General.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  corps  contained  nearly  all  the  Regular  cavalry  and  its  best 
officers,  I  cannot  but  consider  this  selection,  made  as  it  was  by 
the  General  who  was  at  that  time  regarded  on  all  hands  as  the 
most  accomplished  and  promising  officer  of  that  arm  of  Service, 
as  a  very  high  compliment  to  Alexander's  character.  It  shows 
clearly  that  he  had  made  a  place  and  a  reputation  for  himself 
which  an  older  soldier  might  well  be  proud  of.  Fortunately 
for  him,  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  chief,  from 
that  time  to  the  date  of  their  separation,  is  not  a  matter  of  con- 
jecture or  doubt,  for  on  the  8th  of  January  following  General 
Stoneman,  on  being  relieved  from  command  of  the  Cavalry 
Bureau  at  Washington,  addressed  him  the  following  note  : 

MY  DEAR  COLONEL  :  After  a  long  and  intimate  social  and  official  con- 
nection, we  are  now  about  to  part.  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  endeavor 
to  embody  within  the  limits  of  a  letter  what  are,  and  what  I  feel  you  know 
are  the  sentiments  of  my  heart  toward  you.  To  you  more  than  to  any 
other  man  am  I  under  obligations  for  valuable  advice  and  assistance  during 
the  past  two  years  in  the  performance  of  the  various  duties  to  which  I  have 
been  assigned.  Clear,  cautious  and  intelligent  in  council,  prompt  and  cool 
in  execution,  brave  in  action,  affable  and  courteous  to  all,  firm,  just  and 
upright,  you  have  made  yourself  loved,  respected  and  esteemed  by  those 
with  whom  you  have  been  brought  in  contact,  and  by  none  more  than  by 
myself. 

If  you  have  not  received  the  rewards  to  which  all  who  know  you  feel 
that  you  are  justly  entitled,  you  can  feel  and  know  that  it  is  for  other  rea- 
sons than  want  of  merit.  Thanking  you  most  sincerely  for  what  you  have 
been  to,  and  for  what  you  have  done  for  me,  I  am,  very  truly,  your  friend, 

GEORGE  STONEMAN, 

Major-General. 


30  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

The  work  of  collecting  and  organizing  the  cavalry,  which, 
up  to  that  time,  had  been  scattered  without  head  or  adminis- 
tration throughout  the  Army,  imposed  a  heavy  burden  upon 
Alexander  as  well  as  upon  his  chief.  With  but  few  clerks 
and  assistants,  and  at  the  start  with  neither  desks,  paper  nor 
ink,  it  can  be  well  understood  that  they  were  almost  over- 
whelmed by  the  records  and  reports  of  the  twelve  thousand 
men  which  constituted  the  new  corps.  Of  course  the  greater 
part  of  the  details  and  clerical  labor  fell  upon  the  Adjutant- 
General,  who  was  also  Chief  of  Staff.  For  weeks  he  worked 
day  and  night ;  gradually  an  efficient  staff  grew  up  around  him, 
and  order  emerged  from  confusion,  and  the  personal  pressure 
upon  him  was  relaxed,  but  the  winter  was  one  long  to  be 
remembered.  The  cavalry,  although  brought  under  one  com- 
mander, and  subjected,  as  far  as  possible,  to  methodical  instruc- 
tion, drills  and  reviews,  was  still  compelled  to  dissipate  its 
strength  by  the  extraordinary  amount  of  picketing  which  it 
was  constantly  called  upon  to  perform.  In  addition  to  covering 
the  front  of  the  entire  Army  against  the  enemy  it  had  also  to 
cover  its  rear  in  order  to  cut  off  communication  with  Washing- 
ton and  to  prevent  desertion,  which  was  prevalent  to  an  unusual 
degree  at  that  stage  of  the  War.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
this  system  of  excessive  picketing  prevailed  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  till  Grant  arrived  and  gave  Sheridan  command  of  the 
cavalry.  I  have,  myself,  seen  miles  of  cavalry  picket  line  with 
another  of  infantry  just  behind  and  in  sight  of  it,  and  it  was 
no  uncommon  occurrence  for  half  the  corps  to  be  on  such  duty 


STONEMAN' S  RAW.  31 

at  one  time.  The  wonder  is  that,  with  such  a  system,  the  Cav- 
alry ever  reached  even  a  passable  degree  of  efficiency.  The 
work  was  destructive  of  all  discipline  to  the  men,  and  was 
literally  killing  to  the  horses,  which  were  used  up  and  destroyed 
by  thousands. 

Early  in  the  spring  General  Stoneman  was  ordered  to  cross 
the  Rappahannock  and  break  the  railroads  between  the  Con- 
federate Army  and  Richmond,  but  was  delayed  by  extraordi- 
nary rains  and  freshets.  Later  he  succeeded  in  making  a 
double  crossing  of  the  river,  but  one  of  his  divisions  was 
recalled  by  Hooker  without  notice  to  him,  while  he  was  him- 
self left  to  continue  his  march  toward  the  James  River,  above 
Richmond.  Alexander  showed  great  enterprise  and  resource 
during  the  abortive  raid  which  followed,  and  did  his  best  to 
make  it  a  success,  but  he  always  declared  that  it  had  been  irre- 
trievably marred  at  the  start  by  Hooker's  recall  of  Averill's 
division,  and  by  his  instructions  to  Stoneman  that,  under  no 
circumstances,  was  he  to  attempt  to  go  into  Richmond.  In 
spite  of  these  instructions,  however,  Alexander,  perceiving  the 
great  opportunity  offered,  used  every  argument  he. could  think 
of  to  induce  Stoneman  to  move  against  and  attack  that  place, 
which,  he  says,  "  we  were  certain  had  no  competent  garrison," 
and  could  be  readily  taken.  Inasmuch  as  it  contained  fourteen 
or  fifteen  thousand  Union  prisoners,  and  was  besides  occupied 
by  the  entire  Confederate  Government,  it  offered  an  extraordi- 
nary prize,  which  justified  his  counsels,  and  would  have  fully 
excused  an  effort,  even  against  positive  orders,  to  capture  it. 


32        A  NDRE  W  JON  A  THA  N  A  LEX  A  NDER. 

This  was  really  the  first  considerable  raid  of  the  Federal 
cavalry  in  Virginia,  and,  although  it  failed  to  inflict  serious 
injury  upon  the  Confederates  or  their  lines  of  supply  and  com- 
munication, it  was  useful  as  a  means  of  instruction  and  in 
giving  confidence  to  men  and  officers.  The  commanding 
General  seemed  to  rely  especially  upon  Alexander,  and  kept 
him  so  constantly  employed,  and  especially  on  the  return 
march,  riding  up  and  down  the  column,  waking  up  the  men 
who  had  fallen  asleep  upon  their  horses  and  stopped  the  way, 
and  in  performing  the  many  duties  of  a  sensible  and  level- 
headed staff  officer  that  he  was  almost  dead  with  fatigue  when 
he  rejoined  the  Army  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rappahannock. 
On  reaching  Kelley's  Ford,  where  he  found  a  picket  of  the 
8th  Illinois  Cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Captain  (afterward 
Brigadier-General)  Farnsworth,  he  was  informed  that  instead  of 
the  river  being  fordable  "  it  was  fifteen  feet  deep  and  impossi- 
ble to  cross."  Assuming  this  information  to  be  entirely  cor- 
rect, coming  as  it  did  from  an  officer  of  merit  whose  business 
it  was  to  know,  Alexander  rode  back  and  gave  it  to  his  chief, 
who,  realizing  the  danger  by  which  his  command  was  sur- 
rounded, asked,  with  some  excitement,  if  he  had  tried  the 
ford  himself.  Feeling  keenly  the  rebuke  which  was  implied  by 
the  question  and  the  manner  in  which  it  was  asked,  the  Colo- 
nel replied  that  he  had  not  tried  the  ford,  but  would,  and 
angrily  wheeling  about  galloped  to  the  river  followed  by  the 
General,  and,  without  pausing,  plunged  boldly  in.  Of  course 
horse  and  rider  went  under,  but  the  horse  was  a  stout  swim- 


SWIMMING  THE  RAPPAHANNOCK.  33 

mer,  and  on  rising  struck  out  through  the  swift  flowing  stream 
for  the  opposite  shore.  The  General  was  now  fully  satisfied, 
but  also  much  frightened  as  well  as  sorry  for  what  he  had 
said,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  call  loudly  for  Alexander  to  re- 
turn, or,  as  the  latter  emerged  from  the  water,  to  frankly 
apologize  for  his  hasty  speech. 

Worn  out  with  fatigue,  and  wet  and  hungry  as  he  was, 
Alexander,  first  assuring  himself  that  the  command  was 
now  safe,  climbed  to  the  third  story  of  a  mill  near  by,  and 
throwing  himself  upon  a  pile  of  loose  bran  which  it  contained, 
was  soon  fasrt  asleep.  Upon  rising  at  daylight  next  morning 
he  presented  an  extraordinary  spectacle  ;  the  bran  had  caked 
upon  his  wet  clothing  and  given  him  an  appearance  which  was 
ludicrous  in  the  extreme.  But  disregarding  appearances,  he 
personally  superintended  the  passage  of  the  river  by  the  whole 
division  of  thirty-five  hundred  men  and  horses  which  was  ac- 
complished with  the  loss  of  only  one  man.  It  is  worthy  of 
note  that  the  division  had  to  swim  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
through  a  rapid  current,  and  that  in  just  such  emergencies  as 
this  Alexander's  good  judgment  was  of  the  greatest  possible 
value.  During  the  passage  of  the  command  he  swam  the 
river  three  times  without  getting  wet  above  the  saddle.  The 
battery  which  accompanied  the  cavalry  was  rafted  across  safely, 
and  was  in  position  and  ready  to  open  upon  the  enemy  when 
they  made  their  appearance,  as  they  did  just  as  the  last  of  the 
Union  cavalry  had  safely  gained  the  north  bank  of  the  river. 
But  Alexander's  troubles  were  not  over.  That  evening,  for 

3 


34  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

the  first  time  in  a  week,  he  felt  it  safe  to  pull  off  his  riding 
boots  and  place  them  by  the  camp-fire  to  dry.  During  the 
night  some  one  built  up  the  fire  by  which  he  was  sleeping,  and 
made  it  so  hot  that  it  burned  off  the  foot  of  one  boot,  so  that 
the  owner  was  for  several  days  compelled  to  ride  with  one 
foot  bare.  Such  accidents  as  this,  although  common  enough  to 
officers  in  the  field,  are  none  the  less  annoying  on  that  account. 

On  rejoining  the  Army  near  Fredericsburg,  General  Stone- 
man,  who  was  ill  and  badly  used  up  by  the  raid,  went  on  sick 
leave,  and  General  Alfred  Pleasanton  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Cavalry  Corps.  He  retained  Alexander  in  the 
position  of  Adjutant-General  and  Chief  of  Staff,  and  shortly 
conceived  for  his  good  sense  and  courage  the  same  high  opinion 
that  they  had  extorted  from  every  one  else. 

The  rest  of  the  winter  was  passed  in  picket  duty,  and  con- 
stant work  on  the  part  of  the  new  commander  to  perfect  the 
organization  and  efficiency  of  the  National  cavalry,  in  all  of 
which  Alexander  took  a  laborious  and  conspicuous  part.  On 
the  Qth  of  June  the  corps  crossed  the  river  at  Beverly  Ford 
and  attacked  the  Confederate  cavalry  under  Stuart,  and  after 
a  stubborn  struggle  drove  it  back  to  Brandy  Station.  The 
country  was  open  and  level,  and  presented,  on  the  whole,  the 
best  field  for  a  cavalry  battle  in  Virginia.  There  were  perhaps 
20,000  men  engaged.  Many  brilliant  charges  were  made, 
many  hand-to-hand  conflicts  took  place  and  much  distinction 
was  gained  by  the  Federal  troops  and  commanders,  and  espe- 
cially by  General  John  Buford  and  General  David  McM.  Gregg, 


THE  COMBAT  OF  BEVERLY  FORD.  35 

and  although  the  Union  cavalry,  overweighted  by  the  infantry 
and  artillery  which  came  to  Stuart's  assistance,  was  finally 
compelled,  after  fourteen  hours  fighting,  to  retire  with  the  loss  of 
three  guns,  the  officers  contended  that  the  honors  of  the  actual 
fighting,  in  every  instance  on  that  field,  were  theirs.  Certain  it 
is  that  from  that  time  till  the  end  of  the  War  they  never  hesi- 
tated, either  in  the  East  or  the  West,  to  give  battle  to  the 
Confederate  cavalry.  It  is  equally  certain  that  they  succeeded, 
in  spite  of  hard  knocks  and  many  vicissitudes,  in  maintaining 
the  supremacy,  which  they  always  claimed  for  the  Union  cav- 
alry from  the  day  of  the  "joyous  and  gentle"  conflict  of  Beverly 
Ford.  Alexander,  as  usual,  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
action  and  in  the  operations  before  and  after  it.  He  was  con- 
stantly under  fire,  and  was  specially  mentioned  by  the  command- 
ing General  for  his  gallant  and  useful  services.  During  the 
fight  at  Aldie,  which  occurred  some  days  later,  between  Kil- 
patrick's  Division  and  Fitzhugh  Lee's,  he  was  stunned  and 
slightly  wounded  in  the  head  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell  near 
him  and  by  the  gravel  with  which  the  explosion  covered  him. 
He  bled  freely,  and  for  awhile  it  was  thought  he  was  seriously 
injured,  but  with  the  strong  nerves  and  vigorous  constitution 
of  a  cavalryman,  the  shock  passed  rapidly  away  without  dis- 
abling him  or  materially  interfering  with  his  comfort.  He 
personally  took  part  in  all  the  charges  within  his  reach,  and  in 
one  of  these  captured  a  twelve-pounder  mountain  howitzer, 
which  he  turned  upon  the  enemy. 

The    Confederate  cavalry,  after   much  fighting,  had  gone 


36  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

into  the  Shenandoah  Valley  and  turned  down  it  toward  the 
crossings  of  the  Potomac  above  Harper's  Ferry.  Alexander 
was  sent  forward  with  the  advance-guard  to  gain  information 
and  to  establish  the  Union  cavalry's  headquarters  at  Frederick 
City,  Maryland.  Driving  the  rebel  pickets,  which  had  reached 
there  before  him,  out  of  the  town,  he  took  possession  of  the 
principal  hotel,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  proprietor  who 
proved  to  be  a  rebel  sympathizer,  and  who  refused  to  entertain 
his  unwelcome  visitors.  This,  however,  did  not  disconcert  the 
sturdy  Colonel  for  an  instant.  He  had  to  have  shelter  and 
provisions,  and  as  that  was  the  most  eligible  place  for  them, 
he  put  the  innkeeper  in  arrest,  and  for  several  days  thereafter 
performed  his  duties  with  true  Kentucky  hospitality,  which 
was  rendered  all  the  more  acceptable  to  his  guests  and  com- 
panions by  the  fact  that  while  the  table  was  the  best  the  coun- 
try could  supply,  he  made  no  charges  and  collected  no  bills. 

This  diversion  was,  however,  too  pleasant  to  last.  The  rebel 
advance  was  the  prelude  to  the  Gettysburg  campaign,  and 
after  a  few  days  General  Meade,  who  had  not  as  yet  succeeded 
in  divining  the  whereabouts  and  plans  of  the  Confederate 
Army,  sent  for  Alexander  and  directed  him  to  take  whatever 
force  he  deemed  necessary  and  find  out  what  Lee  was  doing. 
Selecting  only  forty  men  of  the  Second  Regular  Cavalry,  he 
started  at  once  across  the  country  toward  Gettysburg,  where  he 
expected  to  find  two  regiments  of  the  Cavalry  Corps.  Upon 
reaching  the  Emmetsburg  road  about  1 1  o'clock  at  night,  he 
halted  to  talk  with  an  old  man  standing  at  his  gate  by  the  road- 


THE  PRELUDE  TO  GETTYSBURG.  37 

side,  who  after  satisfying  himself  that  he  was  really  confronted 
by  a  Union  officer,  told  him  that  the  Federal  troops  had  been 
driven  out  of  Gettysburg,  and  that  there  was  a  strong  rebel 
force  on  the  hill  only  a  half-mile  distant.  But  for  this  timely 
information  Alexander  would  have  most  probably  trotted  into 
their  camp  and  been  captured.  Leaving  the  direct  road,  how- 
ever, and  traveling  through  the  farms,  by  daylight  he  reached 
Littletown,  where  he  found  the  First  and  Seventh  Michigan 
Cavalry,  and  under  General  Meade's  orders  took  command  of 
them.  During  the  night  he  had,  of  course,  been  forced  to  im- 
press guides  from  the  citizens  of  the  country,  many  of  whom 
were  unwilling,  but,  in  his  quaint  and  vigorous  language,  they 
learned  that  ''War  is  a  rough  trade,  and  men  with  arms  use 
convincing  arguments." 

Pausing  at  Littletown  only  long  enough  to  get  breakfast, 
which  the  good  women  of  the  place  furnished  with  cheerful 
alacrity,  while  the  men  groomed  and  fed  the  tired  horses  of  the 
troopers,  and  the  young  girls  brought  flowers  and  sung  patri- 
otic songs,  he  pushed  forward,  drove  back  Stuart's  pickets  and 
followed  him  in  the  direction  of  Hanover,  near  which  place  he 
overtook  and  engaged  the  main  body  for  several  hours.  Gen- 
eral Kilpatrick,  with  his  division,  was  at  Hanover,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  send  couriers  around  the  rebel  forces  to  advise  him 
of  Stuart's  movement.  Two  picked  men  were  detailed  to  go, 
one  of  whom  was  captured,  and  the  other  would  have  shared 
the  same  fate,  but  just  as  he  was  about  to  be  overtaken  by 
the  rebel  pursuers,  a  patriotic  citizen  gave  him  a  stout,  fresh 


38  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

remount  which  carried  him  safely  through,  and  was  returned 
to  its  owner  by  Alexander  the  next  day.  Meanwhile,  however, 
he  and  Kilpatrick  united  their  forces  and  followed  the  enemy 
from  Hanover  to  York  and  Carlisle,  skirmishing  heavily  much 
of  the  time,  and  capturing  some  prisoners,  from  whom  he 
learned  that  the  main  army  of  the  Confederates  was  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Gettysburg.  On  arriving  at  the  conclusion 
that  the  latter  place  would  probably  be  the  scene  of  a  great 
battle,  he  turned  about  and  marched  rapidly  in  that  direction, 
and  first  drew  rein  at  the  Catholic  chapel,  four  miles  east  of  the 
battle-field.  While  resting  his  horses  he  opened  conversa- 
tion with  the  Catholic  priest,  standing  on  the  porch  near  by, 
but  so  soiled  were  he  and  his  men  by  the  dust  through  which 
they  had  been  riding  that  the  good  priest  could  not  tell,  from 
their  uniforms,  whether  they  were  Union  or  Confederate 
troopers,  and  was  therefore  quite  chary  of  talking.  After  they 
had  satisfied  him,  however,  of  their  loyalty,  he  told  them  that 
a  battle  was  then  in  progress.  Alexander  could  not  believe 
it,  and  said  there  must  be  some  mistake  about  it.  He  records 
the  fact  that  "  the  day  was  unusually  still,  and  yet  no  sound  of 
musket  or  cannon  could  be  heard."  The  priest  reiterated  his 
declaration,  and  took  him  up  into  the  belfry  whence,  greatly 
to  his  surprise,  he  plainly  saw  the  battle  raging  on  the  hills 
beyond  Gettysburg,  while  not  a  sound  of  it  reached  him 
though  it  was  afterward  ascertained  that  it  was  distinctly 
heard  thirty  miles  away  in  another  direction.  Descending  at 
once,  he  mounted  and  rode  rapidly  to  Cemetery  Hill,  where 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GETTYSBURG.  39 

he  found  the  Eleventh  Corps  retreating  and  General  Hancock, 
with  a  number  of  officers,  engaged  in  rallying  it.  He  as- 
sisted in  this,,  and  the  line  was  reformed  on  the  crest  of  the 
hill  where  the  great  battle  was  actually  fought. 

Of  course  Alexander  now  joined  General  Meade's  head- 
quarters, and  was  constantly  engaged  in  sending  or  carrying 
orders  to  the  cavalry  which  was  now  operating  on  the  flanks  of 
the  Army.  On  the  2d  of  July  General  Meade  sent  him  with 
orders  to  General  Sykes,  who  was  commanding  the  Regular 
Division  on  the  left,  and  while  riding  along  the  ridge  he 
says:  "I  came  upon  the  Third  Corps  "—of  which  it  will 
be  remembered  he  had  been  the  first  Adjutant-General— 
"  which  had  just  been  badly  whipped  and  was  retreating  in 
great  disorder.  I  never  saw  such  a  rout ;  there  were  men 
with  and  without  arms,  wounded  and  well,  ambulances,  am- 
munition wagons  and  artillery  all  mixed  up  in  utter  disorder, 
and  hurrying  to  the  rear,  while  the  enemy's  shot  and  shell 
were  tearing  up  the  ground  in  every  direction.  General 
Sickles  was  being  carried  back  on  a  litter,  with  one  of  his 
legs  gone.  I  stopped  to  inquire  how  he  was,  and  he  in  turn 
asked  me  how  the  battle  was  going.  He  was  very  pale,  but 
composed  and  manly.  After  I  had  found  General  Sykes  and 
was  returning,  I  saw  General  Sedgwick,  at  the  head  of  the 
Sixth  Corps,  coming  out  of  the  woods  in  the  direction  of  the 
battle.  I  turned  and  galloped  toward  him  intending  to 
speak  to  him,  but  when  I  got  within  about  fifty  yards  of  him, 
a  cannon-ball  passed  over  me  and  struck  the  earth  just  in  front 


40  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

of  the  General's  horse,  throwing  a  cloud  of  dust  and  dirt  over 
him  and  concealing  both  horse  and  rider  for  an  instant. 
When  the  dust  cleared  away,  the  General  was  seen  calmly  brush- 
ing his  clothes  with  his  open  hand.  The  men  nearest  to  him, 
perceiving  that  he  was  unhurt  as  well  as  undismayed,  began 
cheering,  and  those  in  the  rear  took  it  up,  and  the  roar  went 
back  through  the  woods  for  miles  along  the  column,  and  con- 
tinued for  some  minutes.  This  showed  both  our  men  and  the 
rebels  that  re-enforcements  were  at  hand,  and  possibly  changed 
the  fortunes  of  the  day." 

About  sundown  that  afternoon  General  Meade  and  his 
staff  rode  the  lines  in  front  of  the  Army  and  in  rear  of  the 
skirmishers,  and  asked  Alexander  to  accompany  him,  which 
he  did,  mounted  upon  a  stout,  black  charger  that  had  been 
used  as  a  race-horse.  As  soon  as  the  cavalcade,  moving  at 
a  gallop,  appeared  in  the  open  field  the  troops  began  cheering, 
and  this  caused  Alexander's  horse,  which  doubtless  thought 
a  race  was  on  hand,  to  rush  away  at  full  speed.  He  soon 
distanced  General  Meade  and  his  followers,  and  his  rider  was 
getting  control  of  him  when  his  right  stirrup-leather  parted. 
The  horse  now  dashed  through  the  skirmish  line  and  was  going 
straight  for  the  rebel  position.  For  a  moment  it  seemed  that 
his  gallant  rider  had  lost  all  control  over  him,  but  he  finally 
succeeded  in  turning  him  back  toward  our  own  lines,  though 
unfortunately  he  had  now  attracted  the  attention  of  the  enemy, 
and  for  half  a  mile  became  a  target  for  their  rifles.  Happily 
he  rejoined  his  companions  without  receiving  any  injury. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GETTYSBURG.  41 

The  next  morning,  July  3d,  there  was  heavy  fighting  on 
the  right  of  our  Army,  and  Alexander  records  the  fact  that 
the  roar  of  musketry  was  as  heavy  as  any  he  ever  heard, 
but  toward  noon  it  died  out  and  there  was  a  great  stillness, 
unbroken  except  by  an  occasional  report  of  a  musket-shot 
from  some  active  skirmisher.  The  day  was  hot,  and  both 
armies  seemed  to  be  taking  a  siesta.  The  officers  and  soldiers 
about  General  Meade's  headquarters  were  lying  about  in  such 
shade  as  they  could  find,  some  of  them  sleeping  and  others 
talking  in  drowsy  tones,  when  suddenly  all  were  aroused  into 
life  and  activity  by  the  simultaneous  discharge  of  150  guns, 
from  which  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  came  roaring  and  bursting 
over  the  scene.  The  great  Union  battery  which  General  Hunt 
had  massed  replied  at  once,  and  the  roar  was  terrific.  General 
Meade  gave  orders  for  the  cavalry  to  Alexander,  who  went  at 
once  into  the  little  frame  house  just  back  of  the  ridge  occupied 
by  the  main  line  of  battle,  to  write  them  out.  He  found  five 
other  persons  in  the  room — General  Seth  Williams,  General 
Butterfield,  General  Warren,  Colonel  Dickinson  and  Rufus 
Colburn,  Chief  Clerk  at  Heaquarters.  Almost  immediately 
afterward,  a  shell  burst  in  front  of  the  house,  filling  the  air  with 
fragments,  one  of  which  passing  through  the  room  cut  General 
Williams'  neck ;  another  struck  Warren  on  the  chin  and  throat ; 
another  wounded  Butterfield  in  the  side  and  disabled  him ;  an- 
other passed  through  Colburn's  hair  and  raised  a  welt  on  his 
head,  and  at  almost  the  same  instant  a  link  of  a  chain  from  a 
Shrapnel  shell  passed  through  Dickinson's  arm,  just  above  the 


42  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

wrist,  and  lodged  in  his  coat-sleeve.  Alexander  was  alone  un- 
touched and  unharmed.  It  will  be  readily  understood  that  his 
companions  lost  no  time  in  getting  out  of  that  room,  but  he, 
having  a  duty  to  perform  which  could  be  done  there  better 
than  elsewhere,  quietly  remained  till  he  had  finished  his  dis- 
patches, after  which  he  also  went  out,  and  sent  them  away. 
Having  now  nothing  to  do  but  wait,  which,  under  the  circum- 
stances, is  about  as  hard  a  thing  as  a  soldier  can  be  called 
upon  to  perform,  as  it  leaves  him  at  leisure  to  think  of  his 
own  peril,  he  lit  his  pipe  and  tried  his  best  to  appear  uncon- 
cerned. Pickett's  celebrated  charge,  which  this  heavy  artillery 
fire  was  intended  to  prepare  the  way  for,  having  failed,  sev- 
eral hundred  of  his  men  were  taken  prisoners,  and  were  hur- 
ried over  the  ridge  to  the  rear.  The  rebel  guns  now  opened 
again,  and  the  rain  of  shot  and  shell  fell  upon  both  prisoners 
and  Union  men  alike.  The  former  were,  says  Alexander,  now 
"  utterly  demoralized,  and  sought  shelter  behind  trees,  stones, 
and  anything  else  they  could  find  which  promised  to  give 
them  protection  from  the  fire  of  their  friends.  The  same 
men  had  only  a  few  minutes  before  charged  into  our  lines 
with  the  most  desperate  courage."  This  incident  serves  to 
show  as  well  as  any  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge,  that  the 
most  conspicuous  intrepidity  is  not  inconsistent  with  or  unac- 
companied by  the  liveliest  sense  of  bodily  fear. 

The  day  after  the  battle  Alexander  went  back  a  few  miles 
to  where  army  headquarters  had  been  established.  He  had 
had  nothing  to  eat  for  thirty-six  hours,  but  by  that  time  the 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GETTYSBURG.  43 

country  people  had  begun  to  gather  from  far  and  near  to  visit 
the  battle-field.  Many  of  them  took  their  luncheon  with  them, 
and  as  the  headquarters'  mess  kit  had  by  some  mischance  been 
lost,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  levy  a  contribution  upon 
the  sight-seers  ;  and  this  he  proceeded  to  do  with  such  success 
as  not  only  to  fully  supply  his  own  wants,  but  those  of  General 
Meade,  and  the  rest  of  the  staff.  It  was  a  gratifying  surprise 
all  round,  and  so  noticeable  that  Meade  insisted  upon  knowing 
how  it  had  been  accomplished.  Alexander  explained  with  be- 
coming modesty  that  he  had  placed  a  guard  upon  the  road,  and 
stopped  the  sight-seers  till  he  had  collected  from  them  enough 
supplies  to  provide  for  all  immediate  requirements.  Meade 
was  well  pleased,  and  it  at  once  occurred  to  him  that  the  car- 
riages and  country  wagons,  which  were  conveying  the  country 
people  to  the  battle-field,  might  be  impressed  for  the  purpose 
of  removing  the  wounded  to  the  hospitals  in  the  direction  of 
Washington,  and  this  was  done. 

A  few  days  later  Alexander  participated  in  the  cavalry  bat- 
tle of  Boonsboro,  and  then  followed  the  enemy  closely  to  Will- 
iamsport,  skirmishing  continually  with  him,  and  under  fire 
almost  constantly.  During  the  entire  campaign  he  was  in  the 
saddle,  day  and  night,  and  rendered  such  conspicuous  services 
that  he  received  the  highest  commendation  of  those  above  him. 
On  the  loth  of  July  (1863)  General  Kilpatrick  wrote  to  General 
Pleasanton  a  flattering  letter,  bringing  to  his  notice  "  the  gal- 
lant conduct  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Alexander,  Assistant  Adju- 
tant-General of  the  Cavalry  Corps  at  the  cavalry  battle  of  Han- 


44  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

over,  and  during  the  pursuit  of  General  Stewart."  The  Gen- 
eral adds  that :  "  After  having,  at  the  head  of  two  of  General 
Custer's  regiments,  fought  his  way  to  my  assistance,  he  remained 
with  me  up  to  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  to  his  great  assist- 
ance, good  judgment,  and  gallant  example,  I  owe,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  success  of  my  operations.  In  view  of  the  above 
(mentioned)  facts,  and  of  the  great  need  of  an  officer  to  com- 
mand my  first  brigade,  I  recommend  that  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Alexander  be  at  once  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  Volun- 
teers and  assigned  to  my  division."  General  Pleasanton  prompt- 
ly approved  and  forwarded  this  recommendation,  of  his  own 
Chief  of  Staff  be  it  remembered,  "  for  the  favorable  considera- 
tion of  the  General  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Potomac," 
adding  that  the  brigade  lately  commanded  by  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Farnsworth,  killed  at  Gettysburg  (the  same  officer  who  had 
received  Alexander  at  Kelley's  Ford),  was  much  in  need  of  a 
commander,  and  that  the  promotion  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Alexander  would  be  "of  great  benefit  to  the  service."  General 
Meade,  the  same  day,  forwarded  the  communication  to  the  Ad- 
jutant-General of  the  Army  at  Washington,  "  recommended  to 
the  favorable  consideration  of  the  War  Department."  It  was  in 
due  course  "respectfully  submitted  to  the  General-in-Chief,"  but 
unfortunately  for  Alexander  and  the  Service,  so  far  as  the  record 
shows,  it  came  to  an  end  there.  At  all  events  he  did  not  receive 
the  appointment  which  he  had  so  thoroughly  won,  which  had 
been  recommended  in  such  an  unusual  manner,  and  which  the 
interests  of  the  Service  so  manifestly  demanded  should  be  made. 


FALLS  VIOLENTLY  ILL.  45 

Meanwhile,  however,  he  pushed  on  into  Virginia  after  Lee, 
but  had  got  about  thirty  miles  south  of  the  Potomac  when  he 
fell  violently  ill,  as  the  result  of  hardship,  exposure  and  a  slight 
wound,  from  which  he  had  lost  a  good  deal  of  blood  and  much 
strength.  He  was  at  once  sent  back  to  Berlin  under  a  strong 
escort,  but  fainted  several  times  on  the  way  from  suffering  which 
was  exaggerated  by  the  roughness  of  the  road.  He  found 
shelter  and  rest  in  the  house  of  a  widow,  but  the  two  armies 
had  swept  off  all  supplies,  and  there  was  nothing  left  but 
bacon  and  hard  bread,  which,  although  strong  food  for  the  well, 
is  but  poor  diet  for  a  sick  man.  Alexander  could  not  eat  it  at 
all,  and  as  there  was  literally  nothing  else  to  be  had,  he  came 
near  starving  to  death.  Perceiving  that  this  would  be  the  end 
of  his  career  unless  he  could  get  away,  he  told  his  faithful  colored 
servant,  Dandridge,  that  he  must  go  to  Baltimore  if  possible. 
Dandridge  sallied  out  and  found  among  the  convalescents  there, 
an  old  Regular-cavalry  sergeant,  who  at  once  undertook  to  ar- 
range it.  Collecting  about  a  hundred  men  he  took  possession 
of  a  freight-car  standing  on  the  side  track  near  by,  and  backing 
it  down  as  close  to  the  house  as  possible,  put  the  Colonel  into 
it,  and  then  forced  the  conductor  of  the  next  train  that  came 
along  to  couple  it  up,  and  haul  it  into  Baltimore.  The  Colonel 
had  but  two  blankets,  and  as  the  car  had  no  springs,  his  ride 
was  an  exceedingly  painful  one.  Fortunately  he  was  insensible 
most  of  the  time.  The  train  reached  Baltimore  about  i  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  but  there  were  no  carriages  at  the  station. 
Dandridge  went  out  and  found  a  policeman,  who  with  two 


46  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

others  hurried  to  the  car  and  picking  up  the  Colonel  in  his 
blankets  carried  him  to  the  Eutaw  House  and  laid  him  upon 
the  counter  in  the  office.  He  had  fainted  twice  on  the  way, 
and  had  been  laid  upon  the  pavement  to  recover.  The  clerk 
was  much  frightened  at  the  moribund  condition  of  his  ghostlike 
guest,  and  at  once  called  the  wife  of .  the  proprietor,  who  got 
up,  went  to  the  kitchen  herself,  and  lost  no  time  in  making  a 
bowl  of  chicken  broth  which  she  administered  in  spoonfuls  every 
fifteen  minutes,  till  the  danger  of  death  from  starvation  had 
passed.  A  week  of  tender  nursing,  and  judicious  feeding  at 
the  hands  of  this  most  excellent  lady,  put  the  sick  soldier  upon 
his  feet,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  able  to  go  to  Silver 
Spring,  the  home  of  the  Blairs,  near  Washington,  where  he  re- 
ceived every  care  and  attention  from  loving  friends  and  relatives, 
and  soon  regained  strength  enough  to  take  the  field  again.  He 
had  had  a  "  close  call,"  as  soldiers  would  say,  but  hurried  back 
to  the  Army  at  the  earliest  possible  day,  and  took  part  in  sev- 
eral skirmishes  near  Culpepper  Court  House. 

Shortly  afterward,  the  Army  went  into  winter  quarters, 
and  Alexander,  at  the  request  of  General  Stoneman,  his  old 
chief,  was  ordered  to  Washington  to  assist  in  organizing  the 
Cavalry  Bureau  of  the  War  Department.  His  services  here,  if 
not  so  conspicuous  and  exciting,  were  none  the  less  useful. 
The  functions  of  the  Bureau  were  to  supervise  the  Cavalry 
Service  of  the  entire  Army,  to  furnish  it  with  horses,  equipment 
and  arms,  and  to  do  all  in  its  power  to  promote  its  discipline 
and  efficiency.  So  well  and  faithfully  did  he  bend  his  energies 


SERVICES  A  T  THE  CA  VALR  Y  BUREA  U.  47 

and  intelligence  to  the  duties  imposed  upon  him  as  the  principal 
executive  and  staff  officer  of  his  chief  that  on  the  8th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1864,  the  latter  adressed  a  letter  to  General  Halleck,  then 
General-in-Chief,  calling  his  notice  to  Colonel  Alexander  as 
"one  of  the  most  tried  and  valuable  officers  in  the  whole  Army." 
He  added  :  "  I  know  him  well,  and  have  seen  him  tested  in 
almost  every  way,  and  he  has  never  failed  to  acquit  himself 
creditably  and  satisfactorily.  He  is  possessed  of  the  experience 
and  capacity  to  fit  him  for  a  splendid  brigade  commander,  for 
which  position  I  beg  to  add  my  recommendation  to  those  of 
many  officers  of  rank  and  position."  Still  the  promotion  did 
not  come,  and  when  I  took  charge  of  the  Bureau  as  its  Chief  a 
few  weeks  later,  I  found  him  there,  as  before  stated,  attending 
faithfully  and  intelligently  to  the  routine  work  of  the  office. 
Discovering  at  once  that  he  was  an  able  and  sensible  officer 
of  great  business  capacity,  as  well  as  of  experience  in  the 
field,  I  lost  no  time  in  relieving  him  from  office  work,  and  send- 
ing him  on  various  tours  of  special  inspection  to  the  horse  mar- 
kets, and  also  to  the  armies  in  the  field,  in  all  of  which  he  fully 
justified  the  high  opinions  I  had  formed  of  his  abilities  and 
character. 

An  immense  amount  of  work  was  done  in  the  next  sixty 
days.  I  had  myself  gone  to  the  Bureau  under  a  special 
arrangement  between  General  Grant  and  Mr.  Stanton,  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  by  which  I  was  to  be  permitted  to  rejoin  the 
Army  in  the  field  when  operations  should  be  resumed  in  the 
spring,  and  necessarily  had  to  work  hard  myself  and  to  require 


48  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

the  same  thing  of  the  officers  under  me.  There  was  reason  for 
believing  that  great  corruption,  on  the  part  of  the  contractors,  had 
crept  into  the  business  of  supplying  the  cavalry  with  remounts, 
and  that  frauds,  costing  the  Government  many  millions  of  dol- 
lars, had  to  be  detected  and  punished,  and  their  recurrence 
rendered  impossible.  Accordingly  we  framed  and  put  into 
effect  a  new  and  rigid  system  of  horse  inspections,  and  in  super- 
vising this  part  of  the  work,  Alexander's  services  were  of  the 
greatest  value.  An  excellent  judge  of  horses  himself,  and 
knowing  from  his  two  years'  experience  what  were  the  needs  of 
the  active  regiments  in  respect  to  that  important  matter,  his 
counsel  was  of  the  highest  utility.  Those  who  are  familiar 
with  the  history  of  the  cavalry,  attribute  the  high  efficiency  it 
attained  almost  immediately  afterward,  as  much  to  the  excel- 
lent work  done  for  it  in  the  Cavalry  Bureau  during  that  winter 
and  spring,  as  to  the  skill  and  ability  with  which  it  was  handled 
in  the  field  from  the  time  General  Sheridan  took  command  of 
that  part  of  it  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 


II. 

IN  May  I  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  assumed 
command  of  the  Third  Cavalry  Division  ;  Alexander  was 
ordered  West,  and  shortly  afterward  was  assigned  to  duty 
as  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps, 
commanded  by  his  brother-in-law,  General  Frank  P.  Blair. 
He  joined  it  at  Cairo,  and  after  remaining  there  with  it  for  two 
weeks,  he  accompanied  it,  by  steamer,  to  Clifton,  Tennessee, 
whence  it  marched  through  the  country  to  Huntsville,  Ala- 
bama. From  the  latter  place  it  returned  to  Decatur,  where  it 
passed  the  Tennessee  by  a  pontoon  bridge,  and  crossed  the 
mountains  to  Rome,  Georgia.  Thence  it  moved  on  Kings- 
ton, which  was  at  that  time  the  terminus  of  Sherman's  railroad 
line  of  supply  and  communication.  From  the  last-mentioned 
place,  the  corps  proceeded  through  Alatoona  Pass  to  Big 
Shanty,  in  front  of  Kennesaw  Mountain,  where  it  joined  the 
main  Army  under  Sherman.  Although  the  corps  was  not 
large,  it  was  composed  of  hardy  veterans,  who  had  never  been 
defeated,  and  it  was  hailed  with  delight  by  the  entire  Army, 

4 


50  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

and  especially  by  its  comrades  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee, 
as  a  re-enforcement,  which  would  not  only  make  good  the  losses 
already  incurred  in  the  bloody  fights  of  the  campaign,  but  ren- 
der victory  still  more  certain  in  the  future.  Here  Alexander 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Sherman,  Thomas,  McPherson,  Lo- 
gan, and  many  others  of  the  distinguished  generals  of  the  three 
armies  constituting  the  Grand  Army  of  the  military  division 
under  Sherman's  command,  and  it  was  not  long  till  he  had 
won  their  confidence  in  an  unusual  degree,  as  will  be  shown 
further  on. 

There  were  occasional  pauses  in  the  rush  of  the  campaign, 
and  the  coming  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps  occurred  in,  or 
caused,  one  of  these,  but  it  was  not  of  long  duration.  After 
resting  a  few  days,  the  Corps  moved  forward  and  took  position 
on  the  left  of  the  Army  facing  the  northwest  side  of  the 
mountain.  From  this  time  forward  it  was  skirmishing  and 
fighting,  flanking  and  assaulting,  till  it  had  lost  a  large  number 
of  men  and  some  of  its  most  valuable  officers  in  one  of  the 
"strong  demonstrations,"  which  were  not  unfrequently  ordered 
during  that  extraordinary  campaign.  After  one  of  these,  Alex- 
ander took  a  brigade  out  to  the  edge  of  the  woods,  nearest  to 
the  enemy  in  his  front,  and  leaving  the  men  under  cover, 
walked  forward  with  the  brigade  commander  to  reconnoiter 
the  position.  "  The  men  behind  could  plainly  see  the  enemy's 
works  high  up  the  mountain-side,  and  knowing  too  well  that  if 
ordered  to  assault,  many  of  them  would  fall,"  they  employed 
the  interval  of  the  halt  in  "  deliberately  tying  tags  containing 


BA  TTLE  OF  KENNESA  W  MOUNTAIN.  5 1 

their  names  to  their  blouses,  so  that  their  bodies  could  be  iden- 
tified in  case  they  should  be  killed."  I  use  Alexander's  words, 
and  he  impressively  adds :  "  With  these  preparations  com- 
pleted, at  the  word  of  command  they  moved  gallantly  forward 
to  meet  their  fate.  It  was  a  pathetic  and  heroic  sight."  No 
comment  can  increase  the  vividness  of  the  picture  thus  pre- 
sented, nor  convey  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  calm  des- 
peration with  which  our  gallant  soldiers  faced  the  extraordinary 
dangers  which  so  frequently  confronted  them. 

It  was  shortly  after  this  incident  that  Alexander,  from  near 
Kennesaw,  June  26,  1864,  wrote  as  follows : 

It  is  enough  to  make  one's  heart  swell  with  pride  to  see  so  many  thou- 
sands of  brave  men  leave  all  the  comforts  of  home  to  risk  health  and  life, 
and  suffer  all  the  discomforts  of  camp  life  for  our  Government.  Do  not 
imagine  from  this  that  /  am  particularly  uncomfortable,  because  I  am  not ; 
but  when  I  think  of  Willowbrook,  it  makes  me  sigh  a  little,  but  only  for  a 
moment,  for  I  instantly  think  of  the  reason  for  my  being  here  and  I  grow 
strong  and  willing  to  do  my  part  in  the  great  work  ;  and  why  should  I  not  ? 
I  am  young,  have  no  family  to  take  care  of,  and  fight  now  that  the  remain- 
der of  my  days  may  be  passed  in  peace,  and  that  those  who  are  dear  to  me 
may  have  peaceful  homes  and  a  substantial  government  to  protect  them,  I 
trust,  for  generations  to  come. 

I  am  getting  very  tired  of  this  War,  and  wish  it  could  be  closed,  in  the 
only  way  that  can  be  honorable  to  our  Government,  /.  e.,  by  the  entire  submis- 
sion of  the  rebels.  If  the  war  was  right  in  its  inception,  too  much  valuable 
blood  has  been  spilled  for  us  to  stop  short  of  this  now.  Tell  your  dear 
mother,  with  my  love,  that  I  do  not  go  for  the  "  fun  "  of  it,  because  there  is 
too  much  misery  connected  with  it,  but  there  are  few  positions  in  which 
one  can  be  placed  where  some  fun  cannot  be  had  by  a  person  of  cheerful 
temper. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  the  purposes  of  this  sketch  to  recount 
all  the  operations  of  the  Army,  or  even  of  the  Seventeenth 


52  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

Corps,  for  they  have  already  been  recorded  with  precision  in 
the  official  reports  and  histories  of  the  War.  Here,  as  well  as 
in  the  East,  Alexander  not  only  performed  the  office  duties  of 
his  position,  but  was  constantly  present  with  the  troops,  coun- 
seling and  directing  them  in  the  execution  of  the  orders  which 
he  had  been  instructed  by  the  General  commanding  to  transmit, 
or  which,  quite  as  frequently,  he  assumed  the  responsibility  of 
originating  and  giving  in  person  to  meet  emergencies  as  they 
arose.  In  this  respect  he  showed  himself  to  be,  according  to  the 
fullest  meaning  of  the  words,  a  model  staff-officer,  that  is  to 
say,  one  who  was  entirely  competent  to  take  the  place  of  the 
general  with  whom  he  was  serving.  What  was  of  still  greater 
moment  to  Alexander  and  the  Service,  was  the  fact  that  this 
estimate  of  his  character  had  come  to  be  the  one  which  com- 
monly prevailed,  not  only  in  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  where  he 
was  more  intimately  known,  but  also  in  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, of  which  that  Corps  formed  such  an  important  part. 
Further  on  I  shall  give  the  most  convincing  proof  of  both,  its 
acceptance  and  the  fact,  that  it  was  correct  and  just. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  many  officers  of  the  various  Corps, 
visited  Blair's  headquarters  to  enjoy  their  hospitality,  and 
among  others,  Colonel  Keogh,  that  gallant  young  Irishman, 
who  had  served  with  Alexander  on  Stoneman's  staff,  and  after 
escaping  all  the  perils  of  the  Rebellion  was  massacred  by  the 
Sioux  Indians,  with  Custer  at  the  Little  Big-Horn.  He  now 
sleeps  at  Mount  Hope,  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  Auburn,  by 
the  side  of  Alexander  and  his  wife's  relations,  and  at  the  feet  of 


THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY.  53 

his  friend,  the  intrepid  Upton.  On  the  day  in  question,  while 
the  enjoyment  was  at  the  highest  and  the  woods  were  resound- 
ing with  patriotic  songs,  a  tremendous  fire  of  musketry  and  artil- 
lery broke  out  on  the  extreme  right,  and  called  the  merry  rev- 
elers at  once  to  the  more  serious  business  of  the  day.  All 
jumped  to  their  horses  "with  hot  haste,"  and  hurried  to  their 
appropriate  posts.  The  enemy  had  sallied  out  from  his  lines, 
and  was  making  a  fierce  attack.  Matters  looked  serious  for 
awhile,  but  that  was  an  army  of  veterans,  every  one  of  whom 
knew  what  to  do  in  such  an  emergency.  A  sharp  and  bloody 
combat  took  place,  and  the  Confederates  were  repulsed  with 
heavy  loss  to  both  sides.  As  usual,  Alexander  was  on  the  line, 
cool,  steady  and  determined,  duplicating  the  General,  and  direct- 
ing and  encouraging  the  men.  The  honors  of  the  day  were 
with  the  Union  Army,  but  the  battle  had  had  a  serious  effect, 
and  the  celebration  of  the  "Glorious Fourth"  was  not  renewed. 
On  the  next  day  the  Union  forces  advanced  to  the  attack,  driv- 
ing the  Confederates  across  Nickajack  Creek,  and  into  their 
main  line  of  defenses,  but  finding  the  latter  too  strong  to  storm, 
they  laid  in  front  of  them  for  several  days,  behind  the  hastily 
improvised  but  effective  counter-works,  which  the  troops  con- 
structed with  such  remarkable  facility.  But  the  delay  was  of 
short  duration,  for  Sherman,  fertile  in  expedients  and  untiring 
in  his  determination  to  crush  Johnston,  or  force  him  from  his 
position,  now  moved  to  the  left,  compelling  his  antagonist  to  fall 
back  behind  the  Chattahoochee,  and  to  seek  cover  in  the  works 
around  Atlanta.  The  Seventeenth  Corps  was  sent  to  the  ex- 


54  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

treme  left,  through  Decatur,  and  thence  in  the  direction  of 
Atlanta.  A  few  miles  from  Decatur  it  met  a  strong  force  of 
the  enemy,  and  a  sharp  skirmish  ensued,  July  20,  in  which  Gen- 
eral Walter  Q.  Gresham,  now  United  States  Circuit  Judge  at 
Chicago,  received  a  wound  that  crippled  him  for  life.  Alexander 
was  near  him  at  the  time  he  fell,  and  assisted  in  removing  him 
from  the  field.  These  two  officers  were  about  the  same  age, 
with  tall  and  commanding  figures,  and  that  cool  and  dauntless 
courage  which  marked  them  as  natural  leaders  of  men,  and  en- 
deared them  to  each  other.  Alexander,  as  before  described, 
was  a  perfect  blond,  blue-eyed  and  yellow-haired  as  any  Saxon, 
while  Gresham  was  then,  and  is  now,  dark  and  swarthy  as  a 
Spaniard,  with  black  eyes  and  hair,  and  a  firm  and  vigorous 
determination  of  manner  that  made  him  invincible  in  battle. 
They  were  not  unlike,  withal,  in  prudence  and  judgment,  and 
in  the  high  character  of  their  patriotism  and  manhood. 

That  night  found  the  Seventeenth  Corps  and  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee,  of  which  it  was  a  part,  close  up  to  the 
enemy's  outer  line  of  works  covering  Atlanta,  and  the  next 
morning,  July  21,  Leggett's  Division  assaulted  and  carried  the 
ridge  in  its  front  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  In  the  words 
of  Alexander,  "  it  was  grand  to  see  these  long  lines  of 
blue  coats  with  gleaming  bayonets  and  waving  banners  move 
up  the  hillside  as  if  on  parade,  without  firing  a  shot,  but 
leaving  many  a  poor  fellow  lying  in  their  wake  upon 
the  ground.  For  a  few  moments  the  fighting  was  close 
and  desperate — five  color-bearers  of  the  78th  Illinois,  one 


ON  THE  PICKET  LINE.  55 

after  another,  falling  dead  "  before  the  murderous  fire  of  the 
Confederates,  but  the  gallant  Leggett  and  his  men  finally  swept 
everything  before  them  and  made  good  their  hold  upon  the 
entrenchments  they  had  carried.  Connecting  with  the  Fifth- 
teenth  Corps  to  their  left,  which  in  turn  connected  with  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  they  slept  on  their  arms,  confident 
of  a  crowning  victory  the  next  day. 

About  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  after  silence  had  settled 
upon  both  armies,  the  pickets  sent  in  word  that  the  enemy  was 
withdrawing  from  his  outer  line  into  the  main  defenses  of  the 
city.  Feeling  anxious,  Alexander  had  not  yet  retired,  and  when 
the  information  came  in,  sent  it  at  once  to  General  McPherson, 
commanding  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  after  which  he  lay 
down  without  undressing.  He  had  hardly  fallen  asleep  when 
General  McPherson  knocked  at  his  tent  door  and  entered. 
Alexander  sat  up,  and  as  there  were  no  chairs  or  camp-stools  at 
hand,  the  General  also  seated  himself  on  the  blankets,  asking  at 
once  for  further  details  about  the  report  he  had  just  received. 
Alexander  gave  him  all  he  had,  and  then  said  he  "  thought  the 
enemy  were  evacuating  the  city  and  would  have  disappeared  by 
morning."  Thereupon,  General  McPherson  expressed  still 
greater  anxiety,  and  added  that  he  wished  he  had  a  trustworthy 
officer  on  the  picket  line  to  watch  closely  and  send  in  reliable 
reports.  The  Colonel  of  course  said  he  would  send  any  one  out 
the  General  might  name,  whereupon  the  latter,  with  a  pleasant 
and  persuasive  smile,  replied  :  "If  you  are  not  too  tired  I  would 
like  you  to  go."  This  was  more  than  enough.  Alexander  at 


56  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

once  sprang  up,  ordered  his  horse  and,  as  soon  as  he  came, 
galloped  to  the  front.  On  arriving  at  the  main  line  he  dis- 
mounted and  crawled  out  among  the  pickets.  There  was  now 
some  desultory  firing  going  on  and  the  bullets  flew  unpleas- 
antly close  to  him.  As  day  began  to  break,  he  crawled  still 
farther  out  to  a  large  tree  which  stood  in  a  field  some  distance 
beyond  the  pickets.  Thanks  to  an  excellent  knowledge  of 
woodcraft,  he  reached  it  without  being  observed,  and  peering 
carefully  from  behind  it  he  found  himself  within  close  range  of 
the  main  works,  and  in  such  position  that  he  could  see  quite  a 
distance  along  the  enemy's  line.  He  saw  "  large  bodies  of 
infantry  lying  down,  as  if  they  had  just  halted  from  a  long 
march,  and  several  batteries  of  field  artillery  with  the  horses 
attached  and  ready  to  move."  Whilst  watching  he  also  saw 
one  or  two  brigades  and  several  batteries  move  back  into 
Atlanta  and  disappear.  "By  this  time  it  was  broad  daylight," 
and,  in  his  own  language,  "  the  question  arose  as  to  how  I  was 
to  get  back,  as  I  was  very  near  to  the  enemy's  skirmishers.  If 
I  crawled  back  I  was  almost  certain  to  be  observed  and  fired 
upon,  so  I  determined  to  run  for  it.  I  raised  myself  cautiously 
behind  the  tree  and  then  ran  diagonally,  as  rapidly  as  I  could, 
across  the  enemy's  line  of  fire  until  I  got  under  cover.  A 
number  of  shots  were  fired,  but,  as  I  had  calculated,  none 
of  them  hit  me.  Our  own  men  were  excited,  as  they  knew 
there  was  a  crisis  at  hand,  and  cheered  like  mad  when  they  saw 
me  coming.  I  met  General  McPherson  at  the  works  and 
reported  what  I  had  seen.  He  thanked  me  with  that  kind  and 


THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  McPHERSON.  57 

genial  manner  which  made  him  such  a  favorite  with  his  men. 
I  never  spoke  to  him  again."  A  crisis  was  really  at  hand,  for 
that  day,  July  22,  the  bloody  and  desperate  battle  of  Peachtree 
Creek  was  fought,  and  the  gallant  McPherson  was  killed.  Every- 
body, from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  in  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, was  busy  from  morning  till  night,  for  the  Confederates 
under  the  resolute  and  desperate  Hood,  who  had  succeeded  the 
more  cautious  Johnston,  now  assumed  the  offensive,  and  by  a 
turning  movement,  as  well  conceived  as  it  was  boldly  executed, 
threw  the  whole  weight  of  his  columns  upon  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee,  front,  flank  and  rear.  Never  were  the  discipline  and 
courage  of  an  Army  more  severely  tried  than  were  those  of 
McPherson's  veterans  in  that  memorable  battle.  It  is  not 
my  purpose  to  describe  the  operations  of  the  Corps,  nor  to  give 
all  the  details  of  Alexander's  services  on  that  important  day, 
but  a  summary  of  them  cannot  fail  to  interest  his  friends. 

After  getting  his  breakfast  and  mounting  a  fresh  horse,  he 
rode  with  the  headquarters'  escort  to  the  field  hospital  of  the 
Corps,  from  which  word  had  come  in  that  it  had  just  been  at- 
tacked. Promptly  driving  off  the  few  rebels  he  found  there, 
and  disposing  of  a  regiment  which  General  Blair,  at  his  re- 
quest, had  sent  for  the  further  protection  of  the  wounded,  he 
was  about  to  turn  away,  when  a  picket,  which  he  had  sent 
out,  was  driven  in  and  reported  that  the  woods  in  front  were 
"  full  of  rebels."  Doubting  the  truth  of  the  report,  even  to 
the  extent  of  saying  that  the  man  who  brought  it  was  crazy, 
he  dashed  forward,  but  had  gone  only  a  short  distance  when 


58  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

he  found  the  road  filled  with  Confederate  troops  as  far  as  he 
could  see.  Wheeling  about  instantly  he  retreated  as  fast  as  he 
had  advanced,  "  followed  by  a  shower  of  bullets  which  rattled 
in  the  trees  "  about  him  in  a  most  convincing  manner.  When 
it  is  remembered  that  this  was  a  half  mile  to  the  left  and  rear 
of  the  Corps'  main  line,  and  was  entirely  unexpected,  it  will  be 
readily  understood  that  he  lost  no  time  after  hurriedly  telling 
the  regiment  at  the  hospital  to  take  care  of  itself,  in  riding 
to  the  right  and  front  to  find  General  Blair  and  report.  On 
his  way  by  the  circuitous  route  which  he  was  compelled  to 
take,  he  stopped  at  headquarters  long  enough  to  tell  his  serv- 
ant Trowbridge  (a  gray-bearded  and  tyrannical  old  veteran 
from  Indiana,  who  was  unable  to  perform  military  duty,  but  pre- 
ferred service  rather  than  to  return  home  before  the  War  was 
over)  to  burn  his  letters  and  take  his  trunk  to  his  mother  at 
St.  Louis,  if  he  did  not  return,  he  galloped  toward  the  road 
leading  to  the  center  of  the  Corps'  position.  Just  after  passing 
through  a  broad  valley,  but  before  entering  the  woods  by  a  road 
which  the  troops  had  cut  through  them  the  previous  day,  he  saw 
General  McPherson  about  a  half  mile  ahead  of  him,  disappear 
into  the  woods,  and  shortly  afterward  heard  the  volley  fired 
which,  it  was  subsequently  ascertained,  had  killed  him,  and  this 
volley  caused  the  Colonel  to  bear  to  the  right  and  keep  in  the 
open  ground  till  he  reached  "  Leggett's  Hill,"  where  he  found 
General  Blair.  Meanwhile  the  enemy  had  attacked  our  works 
from  the  rear  and  been  driven  back,  and  the  Colonel  desiring  to 
see  for  himself  the  condition  of  the  troops,  and  what  the  enemy 


HOOD'S  TURNING  MOVEMENT.  59 

would  probably  do  next,  rode  along  the  front  till  he  reached 
General  Giles  A.  Smith's  division.  On  that  part  of  the  line 
he  saw  the  enemy  advancing  to  the  attack  from  the  Atlanta 
side  of  the  works.  The  troops  who  had  been  fighting  from 
the  front  of  their  intrenchments,  now  coolly  returned  to  the 
proper  side,  and  prepared  to  repel  the  new  assault.  Alexander, 
seeing  his  peril,  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  without  dismount- 
ing clambered  to  the  top  of  the  parapet,  which  was  not  over 
two  feet  wide,  and  then,  with  rare  skill,  carried  his  charger  by 
a  magnificent  leap  from  his  uncertain  footing,  across  the  ditch 
to  the  ground  in  rear. 

The  battle  lasted  all  day,  and  at  intervals  till  after  midnight, 
but  every  rebel  assault,  each  of  which  seemed  to  be  more 
desperate  than  the  one  which  preceded  it,  was  repulsed.  Dur- 
ing one  of  these  Alexander  was  in  the  ditch  of  the  intrenchments 
with  General  Force,  when  the  latter  ordered  Captain  Walker  to 
go  to  the  rear  with  a  message.  Instead  of  creeping  along  the 
works  the  Captain  jumped  out  of  the  ditch  and  started  to  run 
across  the  open  field,  but  had  not  gone  fifty  feet  when  he  fell 
with  a  bullet  through  his  thigh.  Seeing  the  peril  that  his  staff 
officer  was  now  in  the  General  ran  out  to  bring  him  under 
shelter,  but  he  was  also  stricken  down  by  a  bullet  through  the 
face.  Both  were  rescued  from  their  perilous  position,  and  not 
only  escaped  further  injury,  but  finally  recovered. 

It  was  during  this  battle,  and  under  Alexander's  observa- 
tion, that  part  of  the  Union  line  held  by  the  isth  Iowa  Volun- 
teers, then  commanded  by  Colonel  (afterward  General)  Bel- 


60  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

knap,  was  assaulted  three  different  times  by  the  45th  Alabama 
Regiment,  under  Colonel  Lampley,  a  most  gallant  and  de- 
termined officer,  who  finally  succeeded  with  thirteen  men  in 
reaching  the  Union  breastworks,  and  refusing  to  surrender, 
Colonel  Belknap,  who  was  a  man  of  great  strength,  reached 
out  and  seizing  him  by  the  coat-collar,  lifted  him  off  his  feet 
and  pulled  him  bodily  over  the  parapet  which  he  had  striven 
so  valiantly,  but  vainly,  to  carry.  The  gallant  Colonel  was  sent 
to  the  rear,  and  died  in  prison  some  time  afterward,  it  is  said, 
from  chagrin.  His  wonderful  regiment  was  almost  completely 
annihilated  in  front  of  the  works,  which  proved  to  be  impregna- 
ble even  to  its  heroic  valor,  and  nothing  more  can  be  said,  of 
it  or  them. 

Alexander,  who  remained  in  the  line  of  battle  till  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  returned  to  it  again  before  day- 
light, well  declares  that  this  was  the  most  desperate  fighting 
he  had  ever  seen  ;  "  the  rebels  charged  us  seven  different  times 
from  the  rear  and  front  alternately,  and  were  repulsed  each 
time  with  great  loss."  He  estimated  their  casualties  at  5,000, 
or  about  half  as  many  as  the  strength  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps 
in  the  battle.  "  The  dead  and  wounded,"  he  adds,  "  were 
piled  up  in  some  places  three  or  four  deep,  in  the  most 
ghastly  confusion.  Nearest  to  our  line,  and  ahead  of  all  his 
comrades,  was  a  delicate,  fair-haired  lad  of  about  eighteen,  who 
had  fallen  dead  on  his  face  in  the  last  desperate  charge."  Not 
far  away,  lay  also  the  Confederate  General  Walker,  stiff  in 
death.  Shortly  after  daylight  the  Confederates  sent  a  flag  of 


BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD.  61 

truce  with  a  request  for  his  body  and  for  permission  to  carry 
away  their  wounded.  The  truce  was  granted,  and  Alexander 
went  out  to  meet  the  officers  from  the  opposing  side.  After 
arranging  the  necessary  details,  he  walked  over  a  part  of  the 
field  "on  which  were  lying  hundreds  of  dead  and  dying,  Union 
and  rebel,  indiscriminately  mixed.  Long  trenches  were  dug  at 
once,  and  the  dead  were  thrown  in  and  covered  like  so  many 
pieces  of  wood." 

When  this  sad  duty  was  ended,  orders  came  for  another 
move,  and  this  time  it  was  to  the  extreme  right  of  the  Army. 
When  the  march  was  completed  and  the  Corps  found  itself  in 
its  new  position,  it  began  fortifying,  as  usual,  and  as  the  rebels 
had  captured  all  their  intrenching  tools  on  the  22d  of  July,  they 
now  had  nothing  left  except  their  bayonets,  tin  cups  and  plates, 
and  with  these  they  covered  themselves  completely  between  9 
and  12  o'clock. 

During  a  lull  in  the  battle  of  the  28th,  General  Logan,  who 
commanded  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  galloped  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  line  to  encourage  his  men  ;  "with  his  hat  off  and 
his  long  black  hair  and  mustache  flying  in  the  wind,  he  made  a 
very  martial  figure  and  was  frantically  cheered  by  his  soldiers." 

Just  as  this  battle  was  beginning,  Alexander  was  standing 
in  the  rear,  showing  the  men  how  to  cover  themselves,  when 
the  rebels  opened  with  a  battery  on  the  right,  enfilading  the 
line.  Seeing  a  1 2-pounder  round-shot  ricochetting  slowly  along 
toward  him,  with  apparently  no  more  momentum  in  it  than  a 
foot-ball,  he  stepped  aside  to  let  it  pass,  which  it  did,  but  it 


62  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

struck  a  soldier,  lying  just  beyond,  in  the  hip,  tearing  off  the 
whole  of  his  back.  The  battery  now  had  the  range,  perhaps 
unconsciously,  of  a  narrow  wooded  ravine  behind  the  line,  in 
which  a  number  of  skulkers,  of  whom  there  are  some  in  every 
Army,  were  concealed,  and  the  bursting  shells  scared  them  up, 
and,  for  the  reason  that  there  was  no  other  direction  in  which 
they  could  go,  they  started  to  the  front.  This  amused  the 
men  in  line  and  they  began  laughing  and  cheering.  Where- 
upon the  rebels  doubtless  thinking  they  were  doing  good  exe- 
cution, redoubled  their  fire  and  speedily  cleared  the  ravine  of 
the  cowards. 

The  Corps  occupied  this  ground  for  several  days,  making 
breastworks  and  batteries,  and  drawing  so  close  to  the  rebel 
lines  that  one  could  toss  a  stone  into  them.  The  fighting  was 
sharp  and  almost  incessant.  "  One  could  not  show  a  hat  above 
the  breastworks  without  getting  a  bullet  through  it,  and  many 
men  lost  their  lives  in  trying  to  peep  over  the  head  logs. 
General  G.  M.  Dodge,  commanding  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  had 
thrown  his  head  back,  and  was  looking  over  when  a  ball  struck 
him  in  the  forehead  just  above  the  frontal  ridge  and  glanced 
over  his  skull,  cutting  a  furrow  in  his  scalp  and  disabling  him  for 
several  months.  Alexander's  duties  called  him  to  the  trenches 
nearly  every  night,  and  sometimes  when  delayed  till  dawn,  he 
had  to  remain  there  all  day,  as  it  was  almost  impossible  to  get 
out  without  being  shot.  Upon  one  occasion  he  came  out  with 
General  Giles  A.  Smith,  and  accepted  his  invitation  to  break- 
fast, but  just  as  they  "were  approaching  the  mess  tent  a  shell 


A  RECONNOISSANCE.  63 

went  through  it,  scattering  the  dishes  and  '  outfit/  and  frighten- 
ing the  cook  so  that  he  ran  away  and,  very  naturally,  could  not 
be  induced  to,  return  till  the  camp  was  removed  to  a  safer 
place." 

After  a  while,  however,  the  Corps  moved  again,  this  time 
toward  Jonesboro,  but  the  enemy  moved  too,  and  with  night 
fighting  and  constant  skirmishing,  and  the  extension  and  con- 
struction of  new  intrenchments,  the  desperate  combatants  not 
only  made  life  hardly  worth  living,  but  made  it  very  difficult 
for  each  other  to  escape  death.  It  finally  became  impos- 
sible to  show  a  hand  above  the  works  on  either  side,  with- 
out losing  it,  so  close  and  so  constant  was  the  firing  of  the 
sharpshooters.  This  rendered  it  necessary  for  the  men  to  drill 
holes  through  the  breastworks  in  order  to  see  what  was  going 
on  beyond. 

In  the  midst  of  this  close  and  deadly  work  to  the  front, 
Sherman  and  Thomas  rode  to  a  hill  in  rear,  from  which  they 
could  obtain  a  good  view,  and  where  they  found  Alexander. 
Thomas  soon  satisfied  his  curiosity  and  left,  but  Sherman  said 
he  wanted  to  inspect  the  line  more  closely.  Accordingly,  he 
and  Alexander  mounted,  and  accompanied  by  their  respective 
attendants,  rode  forward  till  they  reached  an  open  field,  which 
it  was  necessary  to  cross.  The  Colonel,  who  was  familiar 
with  the  ground  and  its  dangers,  intimated  plainly  that  they 
had  better  go  round,  keeping  under  cover  of  the  timber, 
as  one  of  the  rebel  batteries  had  the  range  of  the  field, 
and  would  doubtless  open  upon  a  large  party  passing  through 


64  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

it.  The  General  replied  somewhat  impatiently,  "  Well,  if  they 
do,  they  can't  hit  anybody  " — so  Alexander,  without  comment, 
led  the  way  into  the  field,  Sherman  and  his  staff  following. 
The  Colonel  was  somewhat  piqued  at  the  General's  tone,  and 
determined  to  show  him  that  he  could  stand  fire  as  well  as  the 
next  one.  He  therefore  took  a  slow  walk  and  began  as  un- 
concernedly as  possible  to  point  out  the  various  positions  of 
interest,  and,  as  he  expected,  the  rebels  began  firing  as  soon 
as  they  got  a  fair  view  of  the  party,  and  although  they  had 
the  range  perfectly,  Alexander  took  not  the  slightest  notice  of 
the  falling  shells.  Shortly  one  burst  so  close  to  the  left  of  the 
party,  that  a  fragment  passed  between  Alexander's  horse's 
croup  and  Sherman's  horse's  head,  and  struck  into  the  ground 
near  by  with  an  ominous  thud,  whereupon  the  General  cried 
out  :  "  Look  here,  Alexander,  let's  get  out  of  this  !"  It  was 
now  the  Colonel's  turn,  and,  of  course,  he  retorted  with  all  the 
imperturbability  he  could  assume  :  "  Oh  !  no,  General — don't 
be  in  a  hurry,  they  can't  hit  anything."  The  laugh  was  on  his 
side  now,  but  nevertheless  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and 
ran  for  it  till  they  got  out  of  range.  The  Kentuckian's  horse 
being  the  best  of  the  lot,  he  was  not  left  behind. 

What  with  flanking  and  fighting,  marching  by  night  and 
maneuvering  by  day,  the  enemy  was  repeatedly  beaten  and 
driven  back  till  Atlanta  was  "  ours  and  fairly  won."  Alexander 
went  through  it  all,  and  did  his  part,  both  in  the  office  and 
in  the  field,  thoroughly  and  well,  till  he  thought  the  campaign 
was  ended.  General  Blair  had,  through  the  President's  direc- 


LEA  VE  OF  ABSENCE  DENIED.  65 

tion,  obtained  leave  of  absence  and  gone  North,  and  General 
Ransom  had  assumed  command  of  the  Corps!  After  getting 
his  official  business  into  proper  condition,  the  Colonel  also 
asked  for  a  thirty  days'  leave  of  absence.  He  was  at  that 
time  engaged  to  be  married,  and  knowing  this,  both  General 
Ransom  and  General  Howard  had  approved  the  application, 
but  when  it  was  presented  to  Sherman,  as  it  was  in  person, 
with  the  fullest  confidence  that  it  would  be  granted,  the  General 
promptly  and  emphatically  declared  that  he  could  not  go,  on 
the  unanswerable  ground  that  the  Colonel's  services  could  not 
be  dispensed  with.  Sending  his  luggage  back  to  Corps  head- 
quarters and  submitting  without  a  murmur  to  what  appeared 
to  be  an  arbitrary  assertion  of  authority,  he  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  dinner  with  a  brother  officer  in  the  city,  but  had  not 
finished  eating,  when  he  received  an  urgent  request  from  Gen- 
eral Ransom  to  return  to  camp  at  once,  to  accompany  him  on 
a  strong  reconnoissance  toward  Fairfield  for  the  purpose  of 
finding  out  what  had  become  of  Hood. 

All  arrangements  were  made  that  night,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing, bright  and  early,  the  column,  composed  of  two  divisions  of 
infantry,  several  batteries  of  artillery  and  a  squadron  of  cavalry, 
was  on  the  road.  They  marched  all  day,  and  in  the  afternoon 
came  upon  the  enemy's  mounted  pickets,  which  fell  back  before 
Alexander  and  his  escort.  After  a  fruitless  pursuit  of  several 
miles,  and  then  halting  for  the  night,  Ransom  expressed  the 
wish  that  some  prisoners  should  be  captured  as  the  surest 
way  of  getting  accurate  information,  and  true  to  his  cavalry 

5 


66  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

instincts,  Alexander  promptly  volunteered  to  do  what  had 
been  suggested.  He  was  up  before  dawn  and  mounted 
upon  his  thoroughbred  grey.  Followed  by  a  dozen  picked 
troopers,  he  set  off  in  advance  of  the  column,  and  had  not  gone 
far  before  he  came  in  sight  of  a  rebel  outpost,  of  eight  or  ten 
men,  who  fired  upon  him  hurriedly  and  fled.  Directing  his 
own  followers  to  charge,  he  put  spurs  to  his  fleet-footed  steed, 
and  singling  out  the  hindmost  man,  rapidly  overtook  and  ran 
him  down.  Calling  out  for  him  to  surrender,  and  at  the  same 
time  firing  his  revolver  as  rapidly  as  possible,  he  so  discon- 
certed the  poor  rebel  that  the  latter  failed,  or  was  unable,  to 
guide  his  horse  aright.  Mad  with  fright,  it  ran  blindly  into  a 
railroad  ditch  throwing  its  rider  head  first  against  a  cross  tie 
and  knocking  him  senseless.  This  brought  the  race  to  a 
close,  and  Alexander  pulling  up  at  once,  dismounted  and  did 
his  best  to  revive  his  prisoner,  but  he  was  seriously  injured 
and  did  not  recover  sufficiently  to  give  any  information  for  sev- 
eral days,  by  which  time  it  was  too  late  to  be  of  any  value? 
I  mention  this  incident,  not  for  its  intrinsic  interest,  but  to 
show  Alexander's  alacrity  and  resource,  and  especially  to 
call  attention  to  the  fact  that  when  important  information  was 
required,  he  not  only  knew  how  to  get  it,  but  went  himself  for 
it,  instead  of  sending  any  one  else. 

Of  course  it  was  but  a  short  while  till  it  was  known  from 
many  sources,  that  Hood  had  swung  around  to  the  north,  re- 
crossed  the  Chattahoochee,  and  was  marching  rapidly  by  the 
railroad,  which  he  was  breaking  at  frequent  intervals,  toward 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  HOOD.  67 

Alatoona,  far  in  the  rear  of  the  Union  Army.  Ransom's 
column,  retracing  its  steps  as  rapidly  as  possible,  camped  the 
first  or  second  night  in  a  large  cotton-field,  where  it  was  over- 
taken by  a  violent  rain-storm,  which  drenched  both  officers 
and  men  to  the  skin,  as  they  had  no  shelter  of  any  kind.  In 
recounting  this  incident,  Alexander  quaintly  remarks  :  "  The 
men  took  it  all  in  perfect  good  humor,  crying  out  at  intervals, 
'  Quarter  less  twain  and  no  bottom,'  as  if  they  were  sounding 
the  channel  of  the  Mississippi  River." 

When  they  reached  Atlanta  they  found  that  Hood  had  cut 
the  railroad  leading  back  to  Chattanooga,  and  that  all  of  Sher- 
man's Army,  except  the  garrison  of  the  city,  was  moving  in 
pursuit.  They  were,  however,  short  of  rations  and  forage,  and 
the  mules  died,  for  a  few  days,  in  great  numbers,  but  neither 
this  nor  anything  else  could  stay  the  hurrying  march  which  soon 
brought  them  to  a  region  abounding  in  grass.  All  the  world 
knows  how  stubbornly  General  Corse  fought  for  the  defense 
of  Alatoona  and  its  million  rations,  and  how  General  Sher- 
man, seeing  the  smoke  of  battle  from  the  heights  of  Kennesaw, 
signaled  him  to  "hold  the  fort,  for  I  am  coming."  There 
was,  indeed,  no  rest  for  Hood  and  his  footsore  battalions. 
Celerity  was  the  highest  duty  of  the  hour,  except  fighting, 
for  Sherman  was  thundering  upon  his  heels,  and  yet  Sherman 
had  divided  his  Army,  and  now,  if  ever,  was  Hood's  chance 
to  fall  upon  and  defeat  him  ;  but  he  proved  himself  unequal  to 
his  opportunities,  and  having  failed  to  capture  Sherman's  sup- 
plies, or  to  materially  injure  his  line  of  communication  with 


68  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

the   North  by  rail,  he  swung  off  to  the  west  by  the  way  of 
Gaylesville  to  Gunter's  Landing  on  the  Tennessee  River. 

About  the  time  the  i  ;th  Corps  left  Atlanta  to  take  part  in 
the  pursuit  of  Hood,  General  Ransom  fell  sick,  and  was  obliged 
to  ride  in  an  ambulance  and  leave  the  entire  conduct  and  con- 
trol of  the  Corps  to  Alexander.  He  continued  on  the  march 
as  far  as  Rome,  but  could  go  no  farther,  and  shortly  after  his 
arrival  at  that  place,  died,  much  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him, 
as  an  able  and  courageous  General,  rapidly  rising  into  promi- 
nence. As  a  matter  of  custom,  so  long  as  he  remained  with 
the  troops,  no  one  could  properly  raise  any  question  as  to  his 
right  to  command,  and  the  practical  direction  of  details  was 
therefore  necessarily  left  to  Alexander,  as  Chief  of  Staff  and 
Adjutant-General,  but  when  the  General  could  no  longer  per- 
form his  duty  and  could  go  no  farther,  it  was  by  law  the  right 
and  duty  of  the  next  in  rank  to  assume  command.  In  this 
case,  however,  the  next  in  rank  voluntarily  waived  his  right, 
and  the  division  and  brigade  commanders  united  in  doing 
the  same  thing,  and  also  in  asking  Alexander  to  retain  com- 
mand, which  he  did  till  General  Frank  Blair  returned  from 
leave  of  absence  and  personally  took  charge  of  the  Corps. 
This  was  the  highest  possible  compliment  to  Alexander  and 
altogether  unusual.  Indeed,  I  never  new  of  another  case  like  it. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  he  was  not  even  a  general  officer, 
but  only  a  lieutenant-colonel,  and  that  every  colonel,  as  well 
as  every  division  and  brigade  commander  in  the  Corps,  was  en- 
titled, in  strict  legal  right,  to  the  succession  before  he  was. 


TEMPORARILY  COMMANDS  THE  i*]TH  CORPS.        69 

Referring  to  this  subject,  General  Oliver  O.  Howard,  on 
the  9th  of  October,  1865,  wrote  from  the  Freedman's  Bureau, 
to  Brevet  Major-General  Lorenzo  Thomas,  Adjutant-General 
of  the  Army,  as  follows  : 

Allow  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  services  of  A.  J.  Alexander,  Cap- 
tain 3d  U.  S.  Cavalry  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  during 
the  Atlanta  Campaign  and  the  subsequent  campaign  against  Hood,  when 
attempting  to  move  to  our  rear.  During  this  time  General  Alexander  was 
Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  the  lyth  Army  Corps,  one  of  the  corps  of 
which  my  command,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  was  then  composed. 

I  desire  especially  to  mention  his  services  during  the  time  that  General 
Ransom  was  in  command  of  the  Corps,  as  he  died  before  making  an  official 
report  of  such. 

General  Alexander  was  in  the  various  battles  on  the  Chattahoochee  and 
before  Atlanta,  on  the  aoth,  2ist,  22d  and  28th  of  July,  and  the  battle  of 
Jonesboro  on  the  3ist  of  August.  In  all  of  these  he  behaved  with  distin- 
guished courage  and  gallantry.  In  the  campaign  against  Hood,  after  the  fall 
of  Atlanta,  General  Ransom,  the  temporary  commander  of  the  i7th  Corps, 
was  sick  of  the  disease  of  which  he  afterward  died,  and  in  the  march  from 
Rome,  Ga.,  to  Resacaand  Gaylesville,  was  confined  to  an  ambulance  ;  during 
this  time  the  Corps  was  making  forced  marches  and  was  conducted  by  Gen- 
eral Alexander,  and  he  displayed  extraordinary  judgment  and  skill  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties,  especially  when  the  passage  was  forced 
through  Snake  Creek  Gap. 

Alexander  subsequently  wrote,  for  the  information  of  his 
young  son,  an  account  of  this  portion  of  his  career,  from  which 
I  quote  as  follows  :  "  Having  secured  our  rations  at  Alatoona, 
we  followed  Hood's  Army  along  the  railroad  toward  Chattanoo- 
ga, trying  to  overtake  him  and  bring  on  a  battle.  We  marched 
to  Rome  and  there  heard  he  was  at  Dalton.  Our  Corps  was 
then  ordered  in  that  direction  ;  the  advance  reached  the  railroad 
in  the  night,  and  Belknap's  brigade  was  sent  to  Resaca  on  cars. 


70  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

I  went  with  them  and  arrived  there  late  at  night.  We  pushed 
out  skirmishers  and  drove  the  enemy's  skirmishers  back  a  mile, 
and  then  waited  for  daylight.  When  that  arrived  we  found 
there  was  nothing  in  front  of  us  but  cavalry.  The  Corps  came 
up  the  next  day,  and  the  succeeding  morning  we  started  for 
Snake  Creek  Gap.  I  went  ahead  with  a  squadron  of  cavalry 
to  clear  the  road.  When  we  arrived  within  about  a  mile  of  the 
Gap,  I  rode  up  a  little  bench  of  ground  with  about  a  dozen 
men,  when  we  were  fired  upon  by  200  or  300  rebels,  who  were 
behind  a  long  line  of  breastworks.  Several  of  the  men  and 
horses  were  hit.  One  ball  passed  through  my  horse's  mane, 
another  cut  my  coat,  and  another  cut  a  small  limb  from  a  tree 
just  over  my  head.  I  trotted  along  parallel  to  the  works  till  I 
got  a  good  view  of  them  and  then  went  back  and  reported  to 
General  Sherman.  He  immediately  deployed  the  i5th  and 
i  ;th  Corps  in  line  of  battle  and  prepared  for  a  fight.  Mean- 
time I  took  the  cavalry,  went  around  to  the  left,  flanked  the 
works,  and  found  we  had  only  a  few  hundred  rebel  cavalry 
in  front  of  us.  These  at  once  galloped  off  through  the 
Gap. 

"  Snake  Creek  Gap  is  a  low  pass  through  the  mountains, 
and  was  densely  covered  with  a  large  growth  of  oak,  chestnut 
and  other  forest  trees,  which  the  rebels  had  'slashed ' — that  is  to 
say,  cut  down  in  every  direction,  so  as  to  make  it  almost  im- 
passable for  horses  and  entirely  so  for  wagons  and  artillery. 
The  infantry  marched  through  and  I  accompanied  them  on 
horseback,  jumping  logs  and  scrambling  along  the  mountain- 


THE  PASSAGE  OF  SNAKE  CREEK  GAP.  71 

side  as  best  I  could.  At  the  farther  end  of  the  pass  was  a 
vacant  log-cabin,  about  twenty  feet  square,  before  which  I 
placed  a  guard  to  reserve  it  for  the  Staff  of  the  Corps.  After  I 
had  returned  from  placing  the  Corps  in  position  I  found  the 
cabin  occupied  by  General  Sherman  and  a  part  of  his  staff. 
He  apologized  for  taking  my  house,  but  insisted  upon  my  re- 
maining— and  as  our  wagons  were  all  south  of  the  Gap  and 
this  the  only  house  near,  I  did  so.  After  the  troops  got 
through  I  asked  Sherman  to  let  me  open  the  Gap  and  bring 
our  wagons  through,  as  the  men  were  in  want  of  rations. 
After  some  discussion  he  agreed,  on  condition  that  I  should 
have  the  road  clear  of  wagons  at  daylight,  when  another  Corps 
would  come  through.  I  immediately  took  1000  men  with  axes 
and  500  to  act  as  log-rollers,  and  by  9  p.  M.  had  the  road  opened. 
About  10  o'clock  the  wagons  began  rolling  past  our  cabin  in 
what  seemed  an  endless  procession.  I  was  worn  out  with 
fatigue  and  had  lain  down  on  the  floor  with  my  saddle  for  a 
pillow,  and  was  trying  to  sleep,  but  General  Sherman  soon  began 
walking  up  and  down  near  me  abusing  the  wagons.  I  finally  re- 
marked that  the  wagons  were  necessary  to  carry  food  for  the 
men. 

"'No,  sir!'  he  said,  'Hood's  men  live  on  sorghum  and 
green  corn  and  go  without  wagons,  and  we  will  never  catch 
them  until  we  travel  as  they  do.' 

" '  But,"  said  I,  '  Hood's  Army  devastate  the  country  and 
leave  us  nothing.' 

" '  No/  retorted   the   General,  '  there   is   plenty,  and   you 


72  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

have  more  wagons  for  your  headquarters  than  ought  to  supply 
a  Corps.' 

"  I  remarked  that  '  we  had  only  ten  wagons  for  our  head- 
quarters, and  that  was  less  than  any  other  Corps  in  the  Army.' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  he,  '  that's  just  it.  I  command  the  whole  of 
the  Army — 100,000  men — and  have  only  three  wagons.' 

"  '  But,'  said  I,  '  you  require  us  to  keep  a  full  staff  of  twen- 
ty-five or  thirty  officers,  and  make  full  reports,  whereas  the 
most  of  your  staff  are  in  Nashville ' — and  thus  the  dispute  was 
kept  up  nearly  all  night — and  I  got  but  little  sleep. 

"  At  daylight  I  was  up,  and  as  my  wagons  had  come  in  dur- 
ing the  night,  my  cook  had  an  excellent  breakfast,  including, 
among  other  things,  a  prime  roast  pig  and  sweet  potatoes,  and 
I  asked  General  Stoneman  and  several  others  to  share  them  with 
me.  Just  as  we  were  sitting  down  Stoneman  asked  me  if  I  was 
not  going  to  invite  Sherman  ;  but  I  said  no,  and  added  by  way 
of  explanation  that  he  had  kept  me  awake  all  night,  lecturing  me 
about  transportation,  and  I  was  afraid  if  he  saw  my  mess  chest, 
which  was  a  particularly  large  and  well-stocked  one,  that  had 
been  given  to  General  Blair  by  our  St.  Louis  friends,  I  was 
afraid  he  would  make  me  throw  it  away.  In  a  few  minutes, 
however,  Sherman  came  out  of  the  cabin  chewing  a  cigar  im- 
patiently, and  began  walking  to  and  fro  and  gradually  near- 
ing  us.  I  kept  my  eye  on  my  plate  until  he  got  so  near  that 
some  one  spoke  to  him,  when  I  could  no  longer  resist  his  evi- 
dent hunger  and  asked  him  to  take  a  cup  of  coffee.  He 
replied  promptly,  '  I  don't  care  if  I  do,'  and  sat  down  and  ate  a 


MARRIAGE.  73 

hearty  breakfast  with  evident  satisfaction  ;  and  what  is  better, 
he  not  only  didn't  order  me  to  send  away  the  mess  chest,  but 
never  alluded  to  the  subject  again.  That  day  our  Corps  was 
not  engaged,  and  toward  evening  I  rode  back  to  look  for  the 
Corps  wagons.  I  met  Sherman's  headquarters'  train  and 
counted  thirty  wagons,  only  three  of  which  belonged  to  him 
personally. 

"  We  pursued  Hood  south,  and  our  Corps  marched  through 
Broomtown  Valley.  It  was  October,  and  the  country  had  not 
been  traveled  over  by  an  Army,  so  our  men  feasted  on  vegeta- 
bles, chickens  and  pigs.  After  several  days'  marching  we 
received  orders  one  morning  to  prepare  for  a  battle,  as  Hood 
was  only  a  few  miles  away.  It  was  delicious  autumn  weather, 
and  the  men  stripped  for  the  fight — leaving  their  knapsacks 
with  the  wagons  and  taking  a  double  allowance  of  ammunition. 
The  road  was  broad  and  firm,  and  the  men  marched  ten  or  fif- 
teen abreast,  and  as  rapidly  as  if  they  were  going  to  a  feast 
instead  of  a  fight.  I  was  riding  '  Max,' my  grey  thorough- 
bred, and  he  could  hardly  walk  fast  enough  to  keep  out  of  their 
way.  After  traveling  five  or  six  miles  we  received  information 
that  Hood  was  eighty  miles  away  in  the  Blue  Mountains." 

This  ended  the  campaign,  and  shortly  afterward  Alexander 
applied  for  and  was  granted  a  30  days'  leave  of  absence ;  he 
hurried  North,  and  on  the  3d  day  of  November,  1864,  he  was 
married  to  Evelina  Throop  Martin,  daughter  of  E.  T.  Throop 
Martin,  of  Willowbrook,  New  York. 

As  Alexander  had  only  30  days'  leave,  and  was  anxious  not 


74  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

to  lose  any  time,  the  day  for  his  marriage  had  been  arranged 
by  telegraph,  and  a  large  party  of  friends  and  relatives  had 
assembled  at  Willowbrook  in  anticipation  of  the  happy  event. 
The  Colonel,  however,  was  the  last  to  arrive,  having  met  with 
every  possible  detention  on  his  way  North  ;  engines  had  run 
off  the  track  and  trains  missed  connection,  while  the  tele- 
grams he  sent  en  route  had  not  been  delivered.  The  fol- 
lowing letter,  dated  Willowbrook,  November  5,  1864,  from  his 
brother,  Mr.  George  Alexander,  to  his  mother,  gives  an  amus- 
ing account  of  the  excitement  caused  by  the  late  arrival  of 
the  bridegroom  elect : 

You  have  another  daughter  I  can  now  announce  !  You  will  have  to  get 
a  full  description  from  Mary  of  the  grand  affair  ;  my  pen  is  inadequate. 
Andrew  was  detained  on  the  way  twenty-four  hours.  He  should  have 
arrived  here  Wednesday  morning,  but  the  carriage  came  back  with  letters 
and  wedding  presents,  but  no  Andrew.  It  was  a  little  annoying.  The 
messenger  at  noon  returned  with  more  bundles  and  express  packages,  but 
without  the  expected  one.  The  night  train  brought  the  same  result.  Just 
a  shadow  of  uncertainty  seemed  to  settle  down  upon  the  household — not 
much  was  said,  but  there  was  a  great  deal  of  thinking.  The  consequences 
— awkwardness  of  the  occasion  without  him — would  have  been  overwhelm- 
ing. Mary  and  I,  as  representatives  of  his  side  of  the  family,  were  most 
nervous,  though,  like  veterans,  we  put  on  a  bold  front  in  order  to  keep  down 
a  panic.  We  looked  with  how  much  anxiety  to  the  morning  train  for  our 
relief.  In  vain  !  The  laggard  came  not !  Your  veterans  were  demoral- 
ized. I  requested  permission,  in  a  very  mild  way,  to  go  into  the  city.  I  went 
to  the  depot,  paced  up  and  down  the  platform  for  two  hours,  looking  at  the 
clock  every  five  minutes.  The  last  train  came.  I  watched  the  passengers  pour 
out  of  the  cars,  until  the  last  one  had  stepped  out.  My  heart  was  down  in  my 
shoes,  and  I  was  studying  the  propriety  of  taking  the  eastward-bound  train 
when  a  tall  figure  with  sunny  beard  loomed  in  sight,  and  my  cares  were 
ended. 


MARRIAGE.  75 

There  was  a  scream  of  delight,  and  an  enthusiastic  welcome  from  all 
when  we  arrived,  just  in  time  to  prepare  for  the  wedding,  which  was  to 
take  place  at  4  p.  M.  in  the  little  country  church.  For  days  it  had  been 
raining  steadily,  but  the  sun  came  out  propitiously  and  gilded  the  spire  of 
the  little  church  as  we  drove  up  to  the  door.  The  interior  was  arranged 
like  the  Woodford  Church  in  Kentucky,  and  the  reserved  seats  were  in 
"  Quality  Corner,"  so  that  we  were  placed  to  have  a  front  view  of  the  happy 
pair.  In  a  moment  a  cloud  of  tulle  floated  down  the  aisle  and  formed  in 
front  of  the  minister.  In  the  midst  stood  a  stately  soldier,  and  by  his  side 
the  woman  he  had  chosen,  with  a  wreath  of  jasmine  in  her  hair  and  her 
long  veil  floating  to  the  ground.  The  ceremony  was  brief,  impressive  and 
beautiful.  The  sunset  sent  a  flood  of  crimson  light  through  the  painted 
window,  and  it  streamed  down  upon  them  as  they  knelt,  side  by  side,  to 
receive  the  benediction. 

As  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  concluded  the  bridal  party  quietly  left  the 
church,  and  while  the  bells  rang  out  joyously  we  all  drove  back  to  Wil- 
lowbrook,  where  the  reception  was  to  take  place. 

The  bay  window  of  the  parlor  was  draped  with  crimson  curtains  and 
festooned  with  evergreens,  and  the  bride  and  groom  stood  in  it  like  a  pict- 
ure in  a  frame,  with  the  bridesmaids  on  each  side.  The  reception  lasted 
until  9  o'clock,  during  which  time  the  supper  was  disposed  of,  and  the  guests 
dropped  off,  and  they  are  now  man  and  wife,  to  buffet  with  the  world 
together,  and  for  a  little  while  to  bear  its  sorrows  and  troubles.  God  grant 
they  may  fall  lightly  upon  them.  If  they  are  as  happy  as  we  have  been  in 
our  wedded  life,  and  if  she  is  as  faithful  and  true  as  my  Mary  has  always 
been  to  me,  they  can  well  put  up  with  the  thorns  on  the  weary  way. 


III. 

AS  soon  as  Alexander's  leave  of  absence  had  expired  he 
returned  to  duty,  but  meanwhile  Sherman,  despairing  of 
catching  Hood  or  bringing  him  to  an  engagement,  had 
destroyed  Atlanta,  and  gone  with  the  greater  part  of  his  Army 
on  the  celebrated  March  to  the  Sea,  while  General  Thomas  was 
left  with  the  remnants  of  the  three  Armies  of  the   Military 
Division  to  defend  Tennessee  against  Hood. 

I  had  been  sent  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  command 
and  re-organize  the  cavalry,  and  after  remounting  and  equip- 
ping Kilpatrick's  Division  to  accompany  Sherman's  columns, 
had  also  returned  to  Nashville  to  gather  up  the  scattered  divi- 
sions, brigades  and  regiments  which,  during  the  exciting  cam- 
paign beginning  with  Hood's  passage  of  the  Tennessee  River, 
and  ending  with  the  destruction  of  his  Army,  was  welded  into 
the  compact  and  invincible  mass,  known  in  the  history  of  the 
Rebellion,  as  the  Cavalry  Corps  of  the  Military  Division  of  the 
Mississippi.  About  the  time  of  my  return  to  Nashville  from 
Georgia,  Alexander  arrived  there  from  the  North ;  and  inas- 


AGAIN  CHIEF  OF  STAFF.  77 

much  as  it  was  now  impossible  for  him  to  rejoin  his  own  Corps, 
which  had  gone  with  Sherman,  and  I  had  urgent  need  of  his 
services,  I  invited  him  to  accept  the  position  of  Chief  of  Staff 
with  me  in  the  new  Cavalry  Corps,  which  was  then  begin- 
ning to  take  shape,  but  which  still  required  untiring  exertion 
on  the  part  of  myself  and  staff,  to  collect  it  and  to  complete 
its  organization,  and  to  remount  and  re-equip  it.  Alexander 
having,  as  before  stated,  been  Adjutant-General  and  Chief  of 
Staff  at  the  time  the  Cavalry  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  organized,  and  having  filled  the  same  position  in  the  Cav- 
alry Bureau,  was  just  the  officer  of  all  others  to  assist  in 
the  task  which  I  now  had  in  hand,  and  as  he  cheerfully  con- 
sented to  do  so,  I  secured  the  necessary  orders  assigning  him 
to  that  duty.  Assisted  by  Beaumont,  Bowman,  and  Noyes  of 
the  Regular  Cavalry,  Andrews  of  the  Regular  Infantry,  Carling 
of  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  and  a  number  of  active  and 
intelligent  volunteers,  he  rendered  the  most  invaluable  serv- 
ices. He  was  especially  efficient  in  making  the  details  for 
the  impressment  of  horses  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  and 
for  their  collection  and  distribution  to  the  troops.  His  long 
and  valuable  experience  with  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  combined  with  his  fine  judgment  and  courteous 
manners,  made  him  at  once  acceptable  to  all  with  whom  his 
duties  brought  him  in  contact,  and  did  much  to  lighten  and 
expedite  the  work  which  fell  upon  me  during  that  anxious 
period.  During  the  latter  part  of  November  I  was  with 
the  effective  portion  of  the  mounted  force  in  the  field,  fall- 


78  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

ing  back  before  Hood's  advance,  and  fighting  Forrest  as 
occasion  required,  while  Alexander  and  Beaumont  were  doing 
their  best  to  collect  at  Nashville  the  dismounted  men,  furnish 
them  with  horses,  and  get  them  ready  to  rejoin  their  regi- 
ments. After  our  Army  had  been  concentrated,  the  cavalry 
crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  Cumberland  River,  and  made 
an  extensive  camp  at  Edgefield,  from  which  it  watched  the 
river  both  above  and  below,  and  conducted  minor  operations, 
which  it  is  not  essential  to  describe  more  fully  here.  Its  most 
important  duty  by  far  at  that  time  was  to  prepare  for  the  great 
battle  then  so  near  at  hand,  and  in  order  that  it  might  act  with 
vigor  and  follow  up  the  enemy  with  celerity  it  was  essential 
that  it  should  have  horses  in  great  numbers.  When  the  Corps 
was  collected  at  Edgefield,  it  was  found  that  it  had  only  about 
six  thousand  horses  fit  for  duty,  and  something  like  twelve 
thousand  men.  Within  ten  days,  it  had  ten  thousand  men  in 
the  saddle  ready  to  take  part  in  the  impending  battle,  a 
detached  brigade  of  two  thousand,  and  about  three  thousand 
men  still  dismounted. 

At  the  battle  of  Nashville  it  played  a  most  important  part, 
breaking  through  the  enemy's  left  center,  turning  to  the  left, 
capturing  his  intrenchments  and  guns,  and  finally  enveloping, 
taking  in  reverse  and  overthrowing  his  entire  left  wing,  so  that 
in  conjunction  with  the  attack  of  the  infantry  in  front,  there 
was  nothing  left  for  him  but  to  abandon  the  field  and  seek 
safety  in  flight.  A  common  misconception  in  regard  to  the 
operations  about  Nashville  is  that  inasmuch  as  the  horses  were 


AGAIN  CHIEF  OF  STAFF.  79 

not  actually  used  for  charging,  nor  ridden  into  the  thick  of  the 
battle,  they  were  not  necessary,  and  that  the  operations  of  the 
Army  should  not  have  been  delayed  in  any  way  for  their 
collection.  At  least  one  writer  has  sought  to  affix  blame  upon 
General  Thomas  for  delaying  the  battle  on  that  account,  but 
in  doing  so  has  simply  displayed  his  own  ignorance  of  the  fact 
that  the  principal  use  of  horses  in  modern  cavalry  is  to  transport 
their  riders  rapidly,  and  without  fatigue,  to  distant  parts  of  the 
field,  where  they  can  dismount  and  operate  efficiently  on  foot. 
By  such  means  only  is  it  possible  to  conduct  many  of  the  most 
difficult  operations  of  War  successfully,  and  especially  such  as 
relate  to  turning  movements  in  battle,  to  the  breaking  of  lines 
of  operation  and  supply,  and  to  the  pursuit  of  a  beaten  enemy. 
Alexander  accompanied  me  during  the  entire  operations  of 
the  first  day,  and  at  all  times  displayed  the  greatest  activity, 
alertness  and  intelligence.  On  the  second  day  of  the  battle, 
in  anticipation  of  the  final  defeat  of  the  enemy,  he  was  sent 
with  General  Johnson  and  Harrison's  brigade  of  the  Sixth 
Division,  by  the  Carter's  Creek  turnpike,  to  clear  the  country 
in  that  direction,  and  force  a  crossing  of  the  Harpeth  River, 
below  Franklin,  some  fifteen  miles  to  the  south-west,  and 
after  doing  so  to  march  by  the  left  bank  of  the  river  to  that 
place,  and,  if  possible,  cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat.  The  move- 
ment was  rapidly  and  intelligently  made,  but  owing  to  high 
water  in  the  Harpeth,  and  the  distance  to  be  covered,  was  not 
entirely  successful.  The  column  reached  Franklin  just  as  the 
rebel  rear-guard  was  withdrawing,  and  while  it  captured  quite 


8o  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

a  number  of  prisoners,  including  all  the  enemy's  wounded, 
it  did  not  strike  the  main  body  of  the  rebel  Army  in  the 
flank  as  it  was  hoped  it  would. 

The  next  day  Alexander — who  was  greatly  chagrined  at 
the  failure  of  the  column  he  had  personally  conducted,  to  make 
the  great  stroke  that  was  apparently  open  to  it — returned  to 
Corps  headquarters,  and  remained  with  me  till  we  reached  the 
Tennessee  River.  Like  the  rest  of  us  he  worked  night  and 
day,  much  of  the  time  with  the  advance-guard,  and  on 
the  skirmish  line,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  bring  the 
enemy  to  bay,  and  to  destroy  him.  The  weather  was  as 
bad  as  it  could  be,  raining,  freezing  and  thawing,  in  rapid 
succession ;  the  creeks  and  rivers'  were  full ;  the  bottom  lands 
overflowed ;  the  country  roads  were  impassable,  and  the  only 
way  in  which  we  could  make  even  as  good  time  as  the  enemy 
was  to  keep  our  columns  on  the  turnpike.  The  days  were 
short,  and  at  times  the  country  was  covered  with  heavy  fog, 
so  that  upon  more  than  one  occasion  our  men  became  inter- 
mingled with  the  retreating  rebels  without  knowing  who  they 
were.  Many  sharp  fights  and  rattling  charges  were  made,  and 
always  with  success,  but  the  work  soon  began  to  tell  heavily 
upon  both  men  and  horses.  Provisions  were  scarce,  and  forage 
scarcer,  as  might  naturally  have  been  expected  in  a  country 
which  Hood's  Army  and  our  own  had  marched  over,  and 
the  former  had  subsisted  upon,  and  it  was,  of  course,  impos- 
sible for  supplies  from  Nashville  to  overtake  the  hurry- 
ing columns.  The  men  inspired  by  the  great  victory  they 


THE  PURSUIT  OF  HOOD.  81 

had  won,  and  by  the  hope  of  completing  it  with  the  cap- 
ture of  what  remained  of  Hood's  broken  and  beaten  bat- 
talions, pressed  on,  hungry,  wet,  and  without  shelter,  and  as 
they  were  veterans  used  to  hardship,  stood  it  well  enough, 
but  the  poor  horses  soon  began  to  fail,  and  by  the  time  we 
reached  Pulaski  the  roadside  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
dying.  Many  of  them  had  frozen  legs  and  feet,  and  hundreds 
of  them  lost  their  hoofs  and  had,  in  mercy,  to  be  killed. 
The  advance-guard  reached  the  Tennessee  River,  just  as  the 
last  of  the  enemy  were  crossing,  at  which  time  our  main 
column  was  at  Silver  Creek,  a  few  miles  in  the  rear.  Nearly 
half  our  horses  had  died  or  been  disabled,  and  the  rest  were 
greatly  enfeebled,  but  Hood's  Army  had  been  destroyed,  or 
so  nearly  so  that  it  never  again  appeared  in  the  field  as 
a  separate  organization.  The  pursuit  was  continued  into 
Northern  Alabama  by  General  Palmer  with  an  outlying  de- 
tachment of  the  Cavalry  Corps  which  had  not  been  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  or  in  the  pursuit  to  the  Ten- 
nessee River,  and  the  pontoon  and  wagon  train  of  Hood's 
Army  were  destroyed,  and  many  more  prisoners  were  taken. 
We  came  to  a  halt  on  the  ist  of  January  at  a  misera- 
ble hamlet  on  the  banks  of  Silver  Creek,  and  as  the  country 
had  been  swept  clear  of  all  its  supplies,  we  had  a  dreary  time 
of  it  till  the  command  reached  Florence  in  its  march  to  the  rail- 
road at  Huntsville.  On  New-year's-day  we  rested  from  march- 
ing and  fighting,  the  first  time  since  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville. As  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  Alexander  and 


82  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

the  youngsters  of  the  staff  amused  themselves  in  drawing  up  a 
grandiloquent  dispatch  (which,  of  course,  was  never  sent)  to 
the  President,  presenting  to  him  the  city  of  Pin  Hook — the 
country  people's  derisive  name  for  the  desolate  place  at  which 
we  were  camped — and  all  its  stores  and  dependencies  as  a 
New-year's  gift.  It  was  a  harmless  diversion  while  it  lasted, 
and  brought  a  few  faint  smiles  to  those  who  heard  it  read, 
but  it  was  not  enough,  to  make  any  of  us  forget  the  hard- 
ships we  had  gone  through,  and  still  less  the  hunger  we  were 
then  enduring.  All  had  done  their  duty  manfully,  but  Alex- 
ander had  been  conspicuous  throughout  the  campaign,  not  only 
in  assisting  me,  but  in  personally  directing  the  skirmish  line, 
in  protecting  it  from  the  guns  accompanying  the  leading 
division  of  infantry  which  came  up  with  us  at  the  Duck  River, 
where  we  had  been  delayed  while  repairing  a  bridge,  and  in 
charging  the  enemy's  rear-guard  at  every  suitable  opportunity. 
He  was  always  in  the  advance,  encouraging  men  and  officers, 
and  directing  them  what  to  do. 

So  ably  had  he  acquitted  himself  during  the  few  weeks  he 
had  been  with  me  in  all  sorts  of  duty  that  in  addition  to  thank- 
ing and  expressing  my  obligation  to  him  in  my  official  report,  I 
recommended  him  for  the  Brevet  of  Brigadier-General  of  Vol- 
unteers, and  as  this  recommendation  was  strongly  approved  by 
General  Thomas,  the  appointment  was  promptly  made  by  the 
War  Department. 

The  Corps  was  assembled  in  camps  and  cantonments  be- 
tween Gravelly  Springs  and  Waterloo,  a  short  distance  below 


ASSIGNED  TO  THE  COMMAND  OF  A  BRIGADE.      83 

the  Muscle  Shoals  of  the  Tennessee  River,  early  in  January, 
and  upon  the  arrival  of  Upton's  Division  from  West  Tennessee 
and  Missouri  shortly  afterward,  I  relieved  Alexander  as  Chief 
of  Staff  and  assigned  him  to  the  command  of  Upton's  second 
brigade,  as  a  special  reward  for  his  distinguished  services  dur- 
ing the  Hood  campaign.  In  referring  to  this  assignment  I 
mentioned  him  in  my  next  official  report  "  as  a  young  officer  of 
courage  and  ability."  Of  course  to  let  him  go  was  a  great 
deprivation  to  me,  but  I  felt  that  our  greatest  need  at  that 
time  was  competent  general  officers,  and  that  it  would  be  un- 
just to  keep  him  on  staff  duty,  when  there  was  a  brigade  which 
might  be  given  to  him.  He  accepted  it  at  once,  and  immedi- 
ately set  about  preparing  his  brigade,  under  the  direction  of  the 
distinguished  Division  commander,  for  the  spring  campaign  then 
near  at  hand.  He  constructed  a  model  camp,  in  which  both 
men  and  horses  were  well  sheltered,  and  properly  supplied  with 
everything  necessary  to  comfort  and  efficiency.  He  personally 
instructed  his  officers  and  men  most  thoroughly  in  all  their 
duties,  and  when  the  weather,  the  streams  and  the  roads  were 
such  that  the  Corps  could  move,  he  and  his  brigade  were  in 
first-class  condition. 

The  campaign  into  central  Alabama  and  Georgia  began  on 
the  22d  day  of  March,  1865,  and  the  line  of  march  through 
Russellville  and  Mount  Hope,  although  divergent  at  first,  lay  in 
the  direction  of  Jasper,  where  the  columns  reunited,  and  near 
which  they  forded  the  west  fork  of  the  Black  Warrior  River. 
This  operation  was  not  only  a  perilous  one,  but  required  the 


84  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

greatest  celerity  on  the  part  of  all  concerned  in  it.  Alexander 
had  the  advance,  and  as  the  weather  was  threatening,  and  a  rise 
of  only  a  foot,  or  at  the  most  eighteen  inches,  would  render  the 
passage  impossible,  he  lost  no  time  in  getting  across.  The  river 
was  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide,  and  the  ford  a  rocky  and 
dangerous  one,  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  country  west  of 
it  was  poor  and  desolate,  and  therefore  unable  to  support  a  force 
of  1 2,000  cavalry  longer  than  a  day  or  two,  delay  would  have 
been  fatal  to  us.  Both  Upton,  and  his  two  brigade  command- 
ers, Winslow  and  Alexander,  displayed  the  greatest  intelligence 
and  interest  in  the  task  before  them,  and  especially  in  getting 
forward  to  Elyton  and  the  Cahaba  River,  which  they  knew 
they  would  also  have  to  cross  before  they  could  see  their  way 
clearly  to  Selma,  the  objective  point  of  the  campaign.  They 
found  a  small  force  of  the  enemy  at  Elyton,  but  brushing  it  out 
of  the  way  pushed  forward  to  the  railroad  bridge  spanning  the 
Cahaba  near  Hillsboro.  Pausing  only  long  enough  for  Wins- 
low  to  plank  it  over  for  the  horses  and  wagons,  they  marched 
rapidly  toward  Montevallo,  the  two  brigades  so  directed  as  to 
destroy  the  Bibb,  the  Red  Mountain,  the  Central  and  the 
Columbiana  Iron  Works,  the  Cahaba  Rolling  Mill,  five  collieries 
and  much  property  of  infinite  value  to  the  Confederacy.  On 
reaching  Montevallo,  Upton  halted  to  give  the  other  divisions 
time  to  close  up,  and  at  the  word  resumed  the  advance,  Alex- 
ander in  front.  Roddy's  Division  and  Crossland's  brigade  of 
Forrest's  Cavalry  confronted  him  in  line  of  battle  just  beyond 
the  town,  but  without  delaying  to  skirmish,  Alexander,  who 


CHARGES  THE  ENEMY  A  T  MONTEVALLO.  85 

had  personally  reconnoitered  the  enemy's  position,  led  his 
brigade  to  the  charge,  broke  the  rebel  line,  and  drove 
them  with  a  rush  from  the  field  in  confusion.  The  charge 
was  a  beautiful  one,  and  the  pursuit  which  followed  was  main- 
tained by  both  Alexander  and  Winslow  till  long  after  dark, 
and  resulted  in  the  capture  of  many  prisoners,  and  much  loose 
material,  which  the  flying  enemy  was  compelled  to  abandon. 

The  enemy,  consisting  of  Roddy's  Division,  Armstrong's 
and  Crossland's  brigades,  a  battalion  of  three  hundred  infantry, 
and  a  battery  of  four  guns,  under  Forrest  in  person,  was  next 
encountered  in  a  strong  position  on  the  north  bank  of  Bogler's 
Creek,  near  Ebenezer  Church.  Our  troops  were  moving  on 
two  roads,  Upton's  Division  to  the  left  and  Long's  to  the  right. 
The  latter  was  the  first  to  attack,  which  it  did  with  great 
vigor.  Alexander's  horsemen  had  the  advance  of  Upton's 
Division,  and  when  within  three  miles  of  the  church,  heard 
the  firing  and  cheers  of  Long's  men,  and  led  by  their  gal- 
lant commander,  pushed  forward  at  the  trot  till  they  found 
themselves  also  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy.  Alexander 
taking  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  hastily  deployed  his  bri- 
gade, mostly  on  the  right  of  the  road,  with  the  intention  of 
connecting  with  Long's  left,  and  as  soon  as  he  got  his  disposi- 
tions completed  pushed  forward  his  line  of  dismounted  men. 
In  a  few  minutes,  although  the  resistance  was  determined 
and  the  position  was  an  admirable  one  for  defense,  it  was  car- 
ried by  a  gallant  charge,  and  the  rebels  were  again  completely 
routed.  Alexander's  brigade  captured  two  field  guns  and  about 


86  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

two  hundred  prisoners,  while  General  Long's  Division  cap- 
tured another  gun.  Winslow's  brigade  passed  at  once  to  the 
front  in  pursuit,  but  could  not  again  bring  the  rebels  to  a 
stand. 

The  Corps  bivouacked  that  night  at  Plantersville,  nine- 
teen miles  north  of  Selma,  and  bright  and  early  the  next 
morning,  April  2d,  pushed  forward,  Upton's  Division  by  the 
Range-line  road,  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  city,  which 
was  known  to  be  strongly  fortified.  We  had  already  obtained 
a  complete  plan  of  the  works,  and  of  the  surrounding  country, 
and  had  arranged  to  make  our  principal  attack  on  the  left  with 
Long's  Division,  while  Upton  with  a  dismounted  force  should 
move  through  a  swamp  covering  the  right  center  of  the  enemy's 
works,  and  this  general  plan  was  adhered  to,  but  the  movement 
of  Long's  assaulting  force  was  precipitated  by  an  attack  in  the 
rear  from  Chalmers'  Division  which  was  trying  to  force  its 
way  into  the  city.  This  compelled  Long  to  move  against 
the  enemy's  fortifications  without  waiting  for  Upton  to  reach 
the  ground  he  had  selected,  or  for  the  single  shot  from  one  of 
the  batteries,  which  was  to  be  considered  as  a  signal  for  both 
to  advance  at  once  to  the  attack.  The  assaults  were  not 
therefore  simultaneous,  but  fortunately*  both  were  successful. 
The  fighting  continued  till  late  in  the  night ;  such  of  the 
enemy  as  had  not  been  captured,  fled  by  the  two  roads  which  it 
had  been  impossible  for  our  troops  to  cover,  or  swam  the 
Alabama  River.  Alexander,  with  a  part  of  his  brigade,  pur- 
sued Forrest,  who,  with  a  remnant  of  his  command,  had 


PASSAGE  OF  THE  ALABAMA  RIVER.  87 

escaped  by  the  Burnsville  road,  till  long  after  midnight,  and 
captured  four  field-guns  and  many  prisoners. 

The  next  morning  at  daylight  Upton,  with  the  greater  part 
of  his  Division,  marched  out  for  the  purpose  of  driving  Chal- 
mers to  the  west  side  of  the  Cahaba,  to  open  communication 
with  McCook,  who  had  been  sent  against  Jackson,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Centreville,  and  in  conjunction  with  him  to  bring  in  the 
train  which  had  been  left  behind.  After  three  days  absence,  dur- 
ing which  he  marched  over  a  hundred  miles,  Upton  returned, 
bringing  McCook  and  the  train  with  him.  He  went  at  once  into 
camp  and  busied  himself  with  preparing  his  division  for  the 
further  operations  which  he  knew  were  near  at  hand.  While 
Winslow,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  town, 
was  engaged  in  destroying  the  military  and  naval  establish- 
ments and  stores,  which  we  found  there,  and  which  constituted 
the  last  general  depot  of  the  Confederate  power,  Generals  Up- 
ton and  Alexander  gave  their  personal  assistance  to  my  staff  in 
the  construction  of  the  pontoons  and  other  material  for  a  float- 
ing bridge  across  the  Alabama  River  at  that  place.  So  swift 
and  deep  was  the  river,  and  it  was  rising  so  rapidly,  that  the 
bridge  was  swept  away  three  times. 

General  Alexander,  who  had  obtained  a  small  boat,  which 
was  rowed  by  a  crew  of  the  icth  Missouri  Cavalry,  was  en- 
gaged in  trying  to  protect  the  bridge  from  drift  logs  which 
were  being  brought  down  by  the  flood,  was  overturned  and 
narrowly  escaped  with  his  life,  but  was  seriously  injured.  His 
boat  was  caught  between  a  great  tree  and  the  anchor  ropes  of 


88  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

the  bridge,  and  turned  bottom-side  up.  He  was  pitched  out 
and  disappeared  under  the  surface  of  the  swiftly  flowing  stream. 
Being  a  strong  swimmer,  however,  he  soon  came  to  the  top, 
and  by  a  few  vigorous  strokes  brought  himself  to  the  bow  of 
one  of  the  pontoons,  which  he  seized  with  both  hands,  but  just 
as  he  began  to  lift  himself  from  the  water  the  upper  part  of 
his  body  was  caught  by  the  butt  of  the  drifting  log  and  crushed 
against  the  bow  of  the  boat  till  his  ribs  cracked  audibly.  I  was 
standing  on  the  bridge,  within  twenty  feet  of  him,  and  seeing 
his  terrible  peril  had  directed  the  pontoniers  with  their  spike 
poles  to  fend  off  the  log,  and  they  promptly  did  their  best,  but 
by  its  great  weight  and  the  strong  current  it  was  borne  irresist- 
ibly onward,  and  in  spite  of  all  they  could  do  it  seemed  to  me  that 
it  must  certainly  crush  the  life  out  of  its  struggling  and  almost 
helpless  victim.  Fortunately,  however,  his  hold  was  not  broken, 
and  this,  added  to  the  fact  that  the  anchor  ropes  and  the  efforts 
of  the  men  had  in  some  degree  overcome  the  momentum  of 
the  floating  log,  saved  his  life  at  the  expense  of  several  broken 
ribs,  and  a  badly  bruised  chest  and  back.  The  log  swinging 
out  of  the  way,  he  was  lifted  into  the  pontoon  and  carried 
ashore  in  a  fainting  condition. 

The  column  moved  that  day  in  the  direction  of  Montgom- 
ery, and  being  unable  to  mount  his  horse,  Alexander,  with 
much  unhappiness,  took  his  place  in  an  ambulance  and  accom- 
panied his  brigade,  without  giving  up  the  command.  After 
a  few  days,  although  still  stiff  and  sore,  he  left  the  ambu- 
lance and  returned  to  his  horse.  By  the  time  we  reached 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  COLUMBUS.  89 

Columbus,  which  was  captured  after  night,  on  the  i6th  of 
April,  Alexander  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  lead  the  advance 
and  perform  full  duty.  He  participated  in  the  brilliant  opera- 
tions, by  which  the  fortifications  covering  that  important  city 
were  taken  and  our  crossing  of  the  Chattahoochie  was  secured. 
Winslow  and  Noble,  of  Upton's  First  Brigade,  accompanied  by 
Upton  himself,  led  the  assault,  and  Alexander  with  his  own 
brigade,  the  gallant  Benteen  of  the  loth  Missouri  Cavalry  in 
the  lead,  followed  it  up,  secured  the  bridges,  gathered  up  the 
prisoners  and  trophies,  and  made  good  the  brilliant  victory 
which  his  comrades  had  gained.  The  steadiness,  activity,  and, 
above  all,  the  careful  preparation  which  he  made  for  every 
emergency  that  could  arise,  during  this  campaign,  and  particu- 
larly during  the  night  attack  upon  Columbus,  gave  Upton,  who 
was  hims-elf  an  incomparable  soldier,  the  liveliest  satisfaction, 
and  he  lost  no  opportunity  to  extol  the  merits  of  Alexander 
and  Winslow,  his  brigade  commanders,  and  of  their  officers 
and  men.  He  had  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from 
the  beginning  of  the  War  till  the  battle  of  Winchester,  taking 
a  most  conspicuous  part  in  all  its  operations,  but  he  frequently 
declared  to  me  that  he  never  saw  a  better  division  than  the 
one  with  which  he  made  the  campaign  through  Alabama  and 
Georgia.  He  looked  upon  Alexander  as  an  ideal  cavalry 
officer,  and  frequently  declared  him  to  be  equal  to  any  com- 
mand which  the  fortunes  of  War  might  bring  to  him.  In  his 
enthusiasm  over  the  many  excellencies  of  his  Division,  and  the 
great  advantages  of  night-fighting,  he  used  to  say  that  he  could 


90  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

go  anywhere  in  the  Confederacy  and  capture  any  works  his 
men  could  clamber  over  undefended.  But  unfortunately  for 
him  and  them,  however  fortunately  for  the  country,  the  War 
was  over.  There  were  yet  several  long  and  rapid  marches  to 
be  made,  which  carried  them  through  Macon  to  Atlanta  and 
Augusta,  but  the  fighting  was  happily  at  an  end.  When  they 
arrived  at  Augusta  the  Confederate  chieftains,  pursued  by 
General  Palmer  (of  Johnston's  Division  of  the  Cavalry  Corps), 
who  had  entered  South  Carolina  from  East  Tennessee,  were 
endeavoring  to  escape  through  Georgia  to  the  Southern 
sea-coast  where  they  hoped  to  find  refuge  on  board  a  Con- 
federate cruiser.  In  anticipation  of  some  such  purpose  as 
this,  Alexander  had  already  asked  for  and  obtained  permission 
to  send  his  Acting  Inspector-General,  Lieutenant  Yoeman,  an 
enterprising  young  officer,  with  a  party  of  twenty  men,  dis- 
guised in  rebel  uniforms,  north-eastward  into  South  Carolina, 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  timely  information  of  Davis's  move- 
ments, and  if  possible  joining  his  party.  If  successful  in  carry- 
ing out  his  plan,  he  hoped  an  opportunity  might  present  itself 
by  which  he  could  seize  Davis  and  bring  him  into  our  lines 
as  a  prisoner  of  war.  Alexander  seconded  his  Inspector's 
bold  undertaking  most  heartily,  and  the  troopers,  after  a  long 
and  rapid  ride,  came  into  the  neighborhood  of  the  fugitive 
chieftain,  and  in  the  confusion  and  excitement  joined  his  heter- 
ogeneous cavalcade  without  attracting  suspicion  to  themselves. 
They  sent  several  couriers  through  to  General  Upton,  with 
information  as  to  the  movements  of  Davis  and  his  escort, 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  JEFFERSON  DAVIS.  91 

which  was  promptly  transmitted  to  me,  and,  with  what  I  had 
obtained  from  other  sources,  enabled  me  to  so  dispose  of  other 
parts  of  the  Corps  as  to  insure  the  capture  of  the  party  which 
we  were  all  so  anxiously  looking  for.  But  so  vigilant  and 
strong  were  the  escort  until  after  it  had  entered  Georgia,  that 
Yoeman  and  his  party  dared  not  undertake  to  carry  out  the 
last  and  boldest  part  of  his  plan ;  and  hence  neither  he  nor  his 
chief  had  the  satisfaction  of  becoming  the  actual  captor  of  the 
Confederate  President,  although  they  contributed  greatly,  by 
the  timely  and  accurate  information  they  sent  in,  to  his  capture 
by  others.  Alexander,  with  his  headquarters  at  Atlanta, 
scouted  all  through  Northern  Georgia,  with  which  he  had 
become  entirely  familiar  during  the  campaign  of  the  year 
before.  He  sent  patrols  and  scouting  parties  as  far  north  as 
Dalton  and  as  far  west  as  the  Alabama  line,  and  by  his  sleep- 
less activity  and  vigilance,  not  only  effectually  cut  off  all 
retreat  to  the  West  through  that  portion  of  the  State,  but  kept 
me  constantly  informed  of  every  circumstance  which  he 
thought  could  be  of  the  slightest  assistance  in  directing  the 
movements  of  detachments  in  other  parts  of  the  State. 

Immediately  after  the  Confederate  chief  was  captured  at 
Irwinville,  on  the  loth  of  May,  the  scattered  detachments  were 
drawn  in,  and  for  a  few  weeks  were  engaged  in  paroling  the 
rebel  soldiers  who  were  returning  home  in  great  numbers,  and 
then  came  the  order  to  muster  out  and  disband  the  Army, 
which  had  overthrown  the  Confederacy  and  re-established  the 
Union  under  the  Constitution  and  laws.  Upton's  Division, 


92  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

after  Winslow's  brigade  had  rebuilt  the  railroad  from  Atlanta 
to  Dalton,  was  ordered  to  Edgefield,  Tennessee,  and  mustered 
out,  and  this  put  an  end  to  Alexander's  career  as  a  brigade 
commander. 

For  his  part  in  this  successful  campaign  Alexander  was 
strongly  recommended  by  General  Upton  and  myself  for 
promotion  to  the  full  grade  of  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers, 
and  the  promotion  would  doubtless  have  been  promptly  and 
cheerfully  made  had  the  War  continued.  As  it  was,  General 
Grant  had  conferred  upon  him  shortly  afterward  the  brevet  of 
Colonel  in  the  Regular  Army  for  "  gallantry  and  military  skill 
at  the  capture  of  Selma,"  and  of  Brigadier-General  for  "  dis- 
tinguished skill  and  gallantry  in  the  cavalry  engagements  at 
Ebenezer  Church  and  Columbus,  Georgia,  and  for  steadfast 
devotion  to  duty  in  the  field  during  the  War."  Immedi- 
ately after  his  brigade  was  mustered  out,  he  proceeded  to 
Knoxville,  in  East  Tennessee,  and  took  temporary  duty  on 
the  staff  of  General  Stoneman,  his  old  chief.  He  was  joined 
here  by  his  young  wife,  and  for  a  few  months  during  the 
period  of  reconstruction  enjoyed  the  happiness  and  rest  he 
had  so  fully  won  by  years  of  toil  and  "  steadfast  devotion  to 
duty  in  the  field." 

Their  life  in  Knoxville  was  always  a  sunny  memory  to 
Alexander  and  his  wife.  Their  friend,  Colonel  Keogh,  who 
was  also  on  General  Stoneman's  staff,  insisted  that  they  should 
take  possession  of  the  cottage  in  which  he  was  living,  and 
with  another  young  officer,  made  his  home  with  them  as  long 


SERVICES  IN  EAST  TENNESSEE.  93 

as  the  headquarters  remained  at  Knoxville.  It  was  a  primitive 
establishment,  abounding  more  in  the  luxuries  than  in  the 
comforts  of  life,  but  they  found  endless  amusement  in  riding, 
driving,  hunting  quail,  which  abounded  in  the  country, 
rowing  on  the  Holston,  and  still  greater  pleasure  in  the 
companionship  of  their  old  friends,  General  and  Mrs.  Stone- 
man,  and  many  others  that  visited  them. 

General  Upton  was  stationed  at  Sweetwater,  twenty-five 
miles  below  Knoxville,  and  every  week  came  up  to  spend 
a  day  and  night  with  Alexander,  and  discuss  some  weighty 
point  in  tactics,  a  subject  which  was  then  engrossing  all  his 
attention.  Their  affection  for  each  other  increased  with  con- 
stant intercourse.  Upton's  marriage,  three  years  later,  with 
Mrs.  Alexander's  sister,  drew  them  still  closer,  and  allied 
them  to  each  other  in  the  bonds  of  an  indissoluble  brother- 
hood. 

Among  those  who  visited  them  at  their  home  in  Knoxville, 
soon  after  their  arrival,  was  an  officer  of  the  Southern  Army, 
Colonel  R.  A.  Alston,  of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  whose  tragic  fate  a  few 
years  later  was  so  widely  lamented.  He  was  a  gentleman  of 
pleasing  manners,  and  a  soldier  who  had  fought  gallantly  and 
lost  everything  for  the  Southern  cause,  but  now  frankly  con- 
fessed himself  "well  whipped,"  and  as  ready  to  stand  by  the 
Union  as  the  best  of  us.  He  gave  such  a  distressing  account 
of  the  destitution  in  the  vicinity  of  Atlanta,  caused  by  the 
ravages  of  War,  that  Alexander  hastened  to  do  what  he  could 
to  relieve  the  immediate  necessities  of  his  unhappy  country- 


94  ANDREW JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

men.  He  wrote  to  his  friends  in  New  York,  and  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  raising  a  thousand  dollars,  which  was  sent  for  distri- 
bution to  Colonel  Alston's  father-in-law,  Mr.  Howard,  living  in 
De  Kalb  County,  Georgia.  This  sum  of  money,  coming  at 
a  time  when  it  was  so  much  needed,  although  comparatively 
small,  saved  an  immense  amount  of  suffering,  and  fortunately, 
it  was  soon  followed  by  larger  contributions  from  the  North, 
which  enabled  the  inhabitants  to  subsist  until  a  crop  could  be 
raised. 


IV. 

TN  March,  1866,  Alexander,  having  returned  to  his  proper 
-•-  rank  in  the  Regular  Army,  joined  his  regiment,  the  3d 
U.  S.  Cavalry,  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  He  was  then,  simply, 
Captain  of  G  troop,  but  without  showing  the  slightest  disdain 
for  the  small  command  which  had  now  fallen  to  his  lot,  he 
cheerfully  gave  his  whole  time  to  the  duty  of  getting  his  troop 
into  the  highest  possible  state  of  discipline.  In  May  the  regi- 
ment received  its  orders  to  march  to  New  Mexico,  and  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  where  it  encamped  for 
a  couple  of  weeks.  Here  Mrs.  Alexander  joined  her  husband, 
and  accompanied  him  during  the  remainder  of  his  long  and 
toilsome  journey. 

They  left  Fort  Smith  the  ist  of  June  and  arrived  at  Fort 
Union,  New  Mexico,  by  the  middle  of  August.  This  was  a 
novel  experience  for  Mrs.  Alexander.  She  took  very  kindly  to 
camp-life,  was  a  good  horsewoman  and  well  mounted,  and  the 
march  through  the  Indian  Territory  and  over  the  rolling 
prairies  of  northern  Texas  was  full  of  adventure  and  delight 


96  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

to  her.  The  country  was  at  that  time  an  unbroken  wilderness, 
filled  with  every  variety  of  game,  countless  herds  of  buffalo  and 
an  occasional  band  of  wild  horses,  consequently  both  Alexander 
and  his  wife  always  looked  back  upon  this  beginning  of  their 
nomadic  life  with  none  but  pleasant  recollections. 

Upon  arriving  at  Fort  Union  Alexander  was  ordered  with 
his  own  troop  and  two  companies  of  colored  (volunteer) 
infantry  to  establish  a  new  post  in  southern  Colorado,  on  the 
head-waters  of  the  Arkansas,  and  immediately  proceeded  to  the 
Cuchara,  where  he  was  joined  by  Colonel  St.  Vrain  and  Gen. 
Kit  Carson,  who  had  been  sent  to  assist  in  choosing  a  site  for 
the  new  post.  A  plateau  at  the  foot  of  the  Spanish  Peaks  was 
selected,  and  the  command  moved  to  that  place  without  delay. 

Soon  after  arriving  there  he  had  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  from 
General  Sherman,  who  was  traveling  through  that  remote  region 
on  a  tour  of  inspection.  Alexander  and  his  wife  were  warm 
friends  and  admirers  of  General  Sherman,  and  they  greatly 
enjoyed  his  flying  visit  to  their  mountain  home.  They  were 
living  under  canvas  at  the  time,  but  the  hospital  tent,  used  for  a 
sitting-room,  was  provided  with  a  rudely-constructed  fire-place, 
and  the  keen  mountain  air  was  tempered  by  a  glowing  fire  of 
pine  knots.  Here  all  the  officers  gathered  in  the  evening,  and 
listened  with  delight  to  General  Sherman's  brilliant  reminis- 
cences of  his  adventures  by  flood  and  field,  which  Alexander 
adroitly  drew  forth.  During  this  visit  the  General  decided  that 
there  was  no  necessity  for  a  post  at  this  point,  and  that  the 
troops  should  be  removed  to  Fort  Garland. 


FIGHT  WITH  KANIATZE' S  BAND.  97 

While  Alexander  was  in  camp  near  the  Spanish  Peaks  he 
received  promotion  to  a  majority  in  the  8th  Cavalry,  one  of  the 
new  regiments  in  the  re-organized  Army,  but  obtained  permis- 
sion to  delay  joining  until  spring. 

Early  in  October  very  serious  troubles  broke  out  between 
the  Ute  Indians  and  the  citizens  of  Trinidad,  on  the  Purga- 
toire  River,  and  Alexander  was  called  upon  to  defend  the 
settlement.  Taking  G  troop  he  rode  over  to  Trinidad  and 
had  an  interview  with  the  hostile  Indians,  Kaniatze's  band  of 
Utes,  who  had  been  robbing  the  settlement.  In  reply  to 
Alexander's  remonstrances  Kaniatze  said  that  "the  land  was 
his,  and  when  his  children  were  hungry  he  would  take  food  for 
them  to  eat."  Alexander  exerted  himself  strenuously,  but  did 
did  not  succeed  in  bringing  the  Indians  to  terms,  and  as 
Kaniatze  declared  his  intention  of  fighting,  the  General  had 
"boots  and  saddles"  sounded  at  once,  and  went  toward  the 
camp  at  a  gallop.  Upon  arriving  in  sight  of  the  Indians, 
he  saw  about  fifty  of  them  attacking  Gutierez's  ranch,  which 
was  bravely  defended.  He  at  once  attacked,  routed  and  pur- 
sued the  Indians,  fighting  for  several  hours  till  his  ammunition 
gave  out,  when  he  fell  back  to  a  good  position,  and  encamped 
for  the  night.  The  Indians  left  thirteen  men  dead  on  the  field, 
and  continued  their  flight  up  the  Purgatoire  in  great  haste. 
As  soon  as  a  fresh  supply  of  ammunition  could  be  obtained, 
Alexander  resumed  the  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  who,  in  the 
meantime,  had  continued  their  devastations  through  the 
country,  and  had  appeared  at  Camp  Stevens  on  the  6th 


98  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

of  October,  where  they  had  attempted  to  surprise  the  cattle 
herd,  but  were  driven  off  by  the  soldiers  left  in  camp, 
with  the  loss  of  one  cavalryman  shot  through  the  lungs  by  an 
arrow. 

Alexander  continued  his  pursuit  until  the  savages  were 
driven  into  Fort  Garland,  where  they  surrendered  to  Kit  Car- 
son, who  was  in  command  of  that  post,  which  was  garrisoned 
by  part  of  a  regiment  of  New  Mexican  volunteers,  of  which 
he  was  the  Lieutenant-Colonel.  In  acknowledgment  of  Alex- 
ander's services,  General  Hancock  issued  the  following  order : 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  MISSOURI, 

GENERAL  ORDERS  )  FORT  LEAVENWORTH,  KAN.,  DEC.  12,  1866. 

No.  31.          f 

The  conduct  of  Brevet-Col.  A.  J.  Alexander,  Capt.  3d  U.  S.  Cavalry, 
who,  in  October  last,  with  a  company  of  that  regiment  and  a  detachment 
of  volunteer  citizens,  promptly  attacked  and  punished  Kaniatze's  band  of 
Monache  Utes,  killing  and  wounding  a  number  and  driving  the  remainder, 
by  a  rapid  pursuit  into  the  mountains  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Garland,  is 
approved  and  commended. 

This  band  of  Indians  had  committed  devastations  upon  the  settlements 
along  the  Purgatory,  in  Colorado  Territory,  and  had  acted  in  a  hostile  man- 
ner when  called  upon  to  account  for  their  conduct. 

The  success  which  attended  Col.  Alexander's  operations  against  these 
Indians  illustrates  the  fact  that  promptness  to  determine,  bravery  in  the 
encounter,  and  vigor  in  the  pursuit  in  War  insure  success  ;  whereas  a  more 
timid  policy  might  invite  disaffection,  which  would  require  large  forces  and 
extended  operations  to  suppress. 

The  sound  discretion  of  Brevet  Brig.-Gen.  Carson,  who,  in  the  absence 
of  detailed  instructions,  arranged  a  peace  with  the  beaten  Indians,  when 
honor  had  been  satisfied  and  they  had  been  sufficiently  punished,  is  highly 
commended. 

Indian  Wars  are  not  to  be  desired  by  us.  They  retard  the  progress  of  a 
country  and  impoverish  the  public  purse ;  but  when  they  do  occur  it  is 


FIGHT  WITH  KANIATZES  BAND.  99 

believed  that  such  vigorous  action  as  was  displayed  by  Col.  Alexander,  in 
his  encounter  with  the  Monache  Utes,  Oct.  3,  1866,  tends  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  disaffection,  and  furnishes  the  best  security  against  the  recurrence 
of  such  Wars. 

By  command  of  MAJ.-GEN.  HANCOCK. 

CHAUNCEY  MCK.EEVER, 

Asst.  Adjt.-Gen. 

While  Alexander  was  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians  the  camp 
at  the  Spanish  Peaks  had  been  broken  up,  the  colored  troops 
ordered  to  Fort  Union,  and  the  remainder  of  the  garrison 
marched  across  the  mountains  to  Fort  Garland,  a  rather  haz- 
ardous trip,  as  the  mountains  were  full  of  the  retreating 
Indians.  As  already  mentioned,  Gen.  Kit  Carson  was  in  com- 
mand of  Fort  Garland,  and  welcomed  the  new-comers  with  all 
the  warm-hearted  hospitality  of  an  old  "  mountain  man." 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  letter  written  by  Mrs. 
Alexander  at  the  time  : 

A  few  days  after  we  arrived  at  Fort  Garland  I  rode  out  with  Kit  Carson 
to  the  encampment  of  the  Utes,  about  five  miles  from  the  Post,  and  which 
contained  about  a  thousand  wild  Indians,  among  them  Kaniatze's  band, 
who  had  come  in  to  make  peace.  Andrew  did  not  go  with  us,  as  he  was 
still  supposed  to  be  "  mad,"  and  had  to  remain  in  dignified  seclusion. 

I  rode  my  mare  Zaidee,  and  she  excited  the  enthusiastic  admiration  of 
Gen.  Carson,  who  declared  before  we  returned  home  that  she  was  the  finest 
animal  he  had  ever  seen.  Before  we  reached  the  encampment  we  were  met 
by  Ouray  and  some  of  his  band.  He  was  very  handsomely  dressed  in  buck- 
skin richly  ornamented  with  beads,  his  hands  and  feet  were  small  and  well- 
shaped,  and  his  moccasins  fitted  him  perfectly.  He  is  not  only  a  very  fine- 
looking  Indian,  but  honest  and  reliable,  and  it  was  greatly  owing  to  his 
influence  with  the  tribe  that  the  late  outbreak  did  not  involve  all  the  Ute 
Nation.  He  has  visited  Washington  and  New  York,  and  fully  realizes  the 


ioo  ANDREW  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

power  and  number  of  the  whites,  and  receives  $80  a  month  from  the  Gov- 
ernment as  interpreter. 

Ouray  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a  gayly-dressed  and  handsome 
squaw,  astride  of  a  fine  horse.  Ouray  and  his  party  escorted  us  to  their 
camp,  and,  as  I  glanced  back,  I  was  struck  with  the  picturesque  scene  we 
presented.  Old  Kit  and  I  took  the  lead,  and  were  immediately  followed  by 
several  hunters  dressed  in  buckskin,  fringed  and  embroidered.  Then  came 
the  Indians,  whooping  to  their  ponies  as  they  went,  and  arrayed  in  buck- 
skin, bright  blankets,  beads  and  feathers,  their  bows  and  arrows  slung  on 
their  backs  in  cases  and  quivers  of  deer-skin,  and  their  long  rifles  in  front 
of  them. 

The  Indians  were  encamped  on  a  large  plain  ;  their  teepees  were  not  of 
skins  like  the  prairie  Indians,  but  were  made  of  drilling  stretched  over 
lodge-poles,  and  looking  very  like  Sibley  tents.  The  lodge  of  each  warrior 
was  indicated  by  his  spear,  firmly  planted  in  the  ground  before  the  entrance, 
ornamented  with  eagle's  feathers,  and  with  his  decorated  shield  of  buffalo 
hide  and  head-dress  of  feathers  hanging  from  it.  We  went  to  Ouray's 
lodge,  and  he  politely  asked  me  in,  but  I  declined  to  dismount,  and  then  his 
squaw  brought  me  a  cup  of  water,  which  I  drank.  A  crowd  of  Indians 
gathered  round  me,  steadily  and  fixedly  gazing  at  me  ;  many  of  them  had  red 
blankets,  which  they  wore  in  the  Mexican  fashion,  hiding  all  but  their  eyes. 

We  rode  around  the  camp,  and  passed  one  teepee  where  somebody  was 
sick,  and  they  were  "  making  medicine."  .  The  tent  was  filled  with  Indians, 
principally  squaws  and  papooses.  They  sat  around  in  a  circle,  droning  a 
low  chant,  and  knocking  on  some  metal. 

Kit  Carson  was  received  by  all  these  savages  with  a  wonderful  amount 
of  cordiality,  their  stolid  faces  brightened  into  smiles,  and  they  held  out 
their  hands  with  the  salutation,  "  Como  le  va!  "  or  the  Indian  "  how." 

I  saw  him  shake  hands  with  a  squaw  who  seemed  delighted  with  the  at- 
tention. He  told  me  that  when  he  went  on  his  last  campaign  against  the 
Navajoes  with  his  Mexican  regiment,  he  was  accompanied  by  fifty  Utes,  and 
this  old  squaw  went  with  them. 

It  is  forty  years  this  fall  since  Kit  Carson  first  came  to  this  country,  and 
he  is  now  one  of  the  old  land-marks.  He  was  greatly  pleased  at  my  going 
with  him  to  the  Indian  camp,  and  told  Andrew  there  were  not  many  who 
would  have  cared  to  take  such  a  ride. 


INSPECTS  THE  POSTS  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  101 

Alexander  relieved  Gen.  Carson  in  the  command  of  Fort 
Garland,  and  remained  here  until  December,  when  he  was 
ordered  to,  Fort  Union,  New  Mexico,  and  two  weeks  later 
he  marched  with  his  troop  from  Fort  Union  to  Fort  Bascom> 
and  remained  in  command  of  that  Post  until  the  spring 
of  1867,  scouting  after  Indians  frequently,  and  on  one  occasion 
capturing  several  of  the  hostile  Navajoes.  While  at  Bascom 
Alexander  received  orders  from  General  Grant  to  make  a  spe- 
cial inspection  of  all  the  posts  in  New  Mexico,  and  report  to 
him  in  person  at  Washington.  This  inspection  required  two 
months  of  constant  traveling,  and  much  hard  labor,  but  by  the 
middle  of  May  he  had  accomplished  it,  and  started  on  his 
journey  Eastward,  accompanied  by  his  wife.  This  second  trip 
across  the  plains  was  comparatively  short,  as  they  were  but 
three  weeks  in  going  by  ambulance  from  Fort  Union  to  Fort 
Riley,  then  the  terminus  of  the  railroad. 

In  January,  1868,  Alexander  started  to  rejoin  his  regiment, 
the  8th  Cavalry,  which  was  stationed  in  Arizona.  As  this  was 
before  the  overland  railroad  was  built,  he  and  his  wife  sailed 
from  New  York  for  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  arriving  in  San 
Francisco  the  last  of  January,  after  having  been  twenty-five 
days  at  sea.  From  the  latter  place  they  proceeded  by  steamer 
to  Wilmington  and  Drum  Barracks,  and  from  this  point  started 
in  an  ambulance  for  Fort  McDowell.  Their  route  lay  across 
the  California  and  Yuma  deserts,  and  only  those  who  have  ex- 
perienced it  can  conceive  of  the  discomforts  of  their  long  jour- 
ney of  four  weeks. 


102  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

On  arriving  at  Fort  McDowell,  Alexander,  in  compliance 
with  General  McDowell's  orders,  assumed  command  of  the 
post  and  of  the  sub-district  of  the  Verde.  He  held  this  com- 
mand for  nearly  two  years,  and  was  engaged  almost  constantly 
in  scouting  after  the  Apaches.  He  had  in  his  employment 
fifty  Pima  Indians  as  scouts,  who  always  accompanied  him  on 
his  expeditions.  Mounted  on  their  ponies  with  their  long 
black  hair,  braided  and  tied  with  red  flannel,  reaching  below 
their  waists,  with  their  war-paint  and  trappings,  they  were 
always  a  picturesque  addition  to  the  scouting  party  which  left 
Fort  McDowell  with  every  full  moon.  The  Pima  and  Maricopa 
Indians,  being  in  the  district  of  the  Verde,  were  under  Alex- 
ander's care,  and  he  shortly  acquired  great  influence  over  them. 
They*are  a  fine  race  of  Indians,  of  excellent  physique  and  good 
disposition,  and  have  always  lived  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
white  people.  When  Alexander,  at  his  own  request,  was  re- 
lieved from  the  command  of  the  Verde  district,  they  were  greatly 
distressed,  and  drew  up  a  petition  to  have  him  sent  back  to 
them.  The  following  letter  shows  the  feeling  with  which  they 

regarded  his  departure  : 

PIMA  VILLAGES,  A.  T.,  August  10,  1869. 

A.  J.  ALEXANDER,  Brevet  Brig.-General  U.  S.  A. 

General : — Antonio  Azul,  Chief  of  the  Pima  Indians,  called  on  us  this 
morning,  and  stated  that  hearing  you  were  about  to  leave  Camp  McDowell 
for  the  Prescott  District,  he  desired,  on  behalf  of  himself  and  tribe,  to  return 
you  thanks  for  the  many  kindnesses  they  have  received  at  your  hands  since 
your  arrival  among  them.  He  said  that  both  himself  and  tribe  would  always 
be  at  your  service,  and  expressed  many  regrets  that  you  could  not  remain 
with  them  longer. 


SERVING  IN  ARIZONA.  103 

The  foregoing  was  written  at  the  request  of  Antonio  Azul,  who  came 
here  expressly  to  have  his  feelings  transmitted  to  yourself.  We  could  not 
do  full  justice  to  him,  as  we  have  unfortunately  forgotten  many  of  his 
requests,  and  more  particularly  the  phraseology.  Such  as  it  is,  we  take 
pleasure  in  sending  it. 

We  also  desire  to  express  our  regrets  for  your  departure,  and  shall  look 
back  with  pleasure  upon  our  past  intercourse. 

Wishing  you  a  safe  and  pleasant  trip  to  your  new  post  of  duty,  we 
remain, 

Very  truly  yours, 

WM.  BICHARD  &  Co. 

In  August,  1869,  Alexander  was  ordered  to  Camp  Hualapai, 
fifty  miles  from  Prescott,  in  the  northern  part  of  Arizona,  a 
move  which  was  most  welcome,  as  the  extreme  heat  and  un- 
healthiness  of  Fort  McDowell  was  beginning  to  tell  on  the 
health  of  Mrs.  Alexander  and  their  little  daughter  Emily,  born 
at  Fort  McDowell  the  previous  summer.  The  journey  was  a 
trying  one  to  take  in  the  middle  of  August,  as  it  began  with  a 
dry  march  of  eighty  miles  across  a  sandy  desert.  It  was  ac- 
complished successfully,  however,  by  sending  a  relay  ahead 
with  water  in  casks,  and  leaving  Camp  McDowell  at  noon  one 
day,  and  traveling  all  night,  they  arrived  at  Wickenburg  about 
noon  the  next  day,  having  accomplished  the  eighty  miles  in 
twenty-four  hours.  From  this  point  the  journey  was  compara- 
tively easy. 

Alexander  remained  in  command  of  Camp  Hualapai  until 
the  8th  Cavalry  was  ordered  across  the  mountains  to  New 
Mexico,  in  the  summer  of  1870.  On  arriving  in  New  Mexico, 
he  went  East  on  leave  of  absence,  spending  the  summer  and 


104  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

fall  at  his  home  at  Willowbrook,  and  returning  in  December 
to  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico,  where  he  remained  in  com- 
mand until  February,  1871,  when  he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Gar- 
land, Colorado. 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  letter  written  from  Fort 
Garland  in  March,  1871,  to  his  wife  : 

"  We  had  quite  a  time  the  other  night.  Mrs.  Thomson, 
who  lives  on  the  Trinchera,  about  two  miles  from  here,  sent 
me  word  that  her  two  little  boys,  one  5  and  the  other  3  years 
old,  had  wandered  off  about  dark  and  got  lost.  I  immediately 
started  with  about  forty  men,  and  after  a  terribly  anxious 
search,  found  the  little  fellows  about  one  o'clock,  A.  M.,  nearly 
frozen,  but  stoutly  traveling  around  in  the  brush.  Old  Tom 
Tobin  and  I  trailed  them  up,  and  my  back  has  been  nearly 
broken  since  from  leaning  over  so  much.  One  little  fellow  said 
he  saw  the  lanterns  and  fires,  but  thought  it  was  the  '  Coyotes' 
eyes  after  him.'  I  took  my  overcoat  and  wrapped  him  up  in 
it,  and  made  him  drink  out  of  a  vial  of  brandy  I  had  brought 
for  the  purpose.  After  coughing  a  little  he  said  :  '  I  think  I 
got  too  much.'  You  should  have  heard  the  soldiers  cheer  and 
roar  like  madmen.  I  think  I  should  have  joined  them  but 
somehow  there  was  something  in  my  throat,  for  I  could  not 
help  thinking  of  you  and  my  little  three-year  old.  I  put  the 
brave  little  fellows  in  the  arms  of  their  frantic  mother,  and  left 
her  in  her  great  joy." 

In  the  summer  of  1871  Alexander  was  ordered  to  New 
York  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  as  a  member  of  a  Board  which 


ON  BOARD  TO  REVISE  ARMY  REGULA  TIONS.      105 

was  convened  to  revise  the  Army  Regulations.  After  being 
on  this  duty  several  months,  the  Board  was  ordered  to  Wash- 
ington in  January,  1872,  and  continued  its  labors  in  that  city 
until  May,  when  Alexander  was  relieved  at  his  own  request, 
and  returned  to  Fort  Garland,  Colorado,  with  his  family.  He 
remained  there  in  command  until  the  fall  of  1873,  when  he 
was  ordered  to  Fort  Union,  and  commanded  this  post  until 
the  summer  of  1874. 

He  scouted  all  this  summer  and  fall  in  the  south-eastern 
part  of  the  Territory,  after  hostile  Indians,  displaying  at  all 
times  the  greatest  patience  and  persistency  in  following  up 
the  treacherous  and  shifty  savages,  returning  to  the  command 
of  the  post  in  November. 

In  the  winter  he  obtained  a  short  leave  to  go  East  after  his 
family,  and  brought  them  back  with  him  to  Fort  Union  in 
February,  and  here,  a  few  days  after  his  return,  he  met 
with  the  great  grief  of  his  life  in  the  death  of  his  little 
daughter  Emily.  She  was  a  most  fascinating  child,  endowed 
with  great  beauty  and  genius,  and  her  father  lavished  upon 
her  the  passionate  devotion  of  his  intense  nature. 

In  June,  1875,  the  8th  Cavalry  was  ordered  to  Texas. 
Alexander  took  command  of  the  regiment,  and  marched  with  it 
to  Fort  Brown,  on  the  lower  Rio  Grande,  arriving  there  in 
October,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  journey.  In  January  he 
was  joined  by  his  wife  and  infant  son,  born  at  Willowbrook, 
November  2,  1875,  and  named  "Upton,"  after  his  old  friend 
and  brother-in-law,  General  Upton.  During  the  next  four 


io6  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

years  Alexander  served  almost  continuously  at  Fort  Brown 
and  Ringgold  Barracks.  He  was  in  command  of  the  latter 
post  from  September,  1876,  until  the  spring  of  1877,  when  he 
was  ordered  back  to  Fort  Brown.  While  at  Ringgold  he  had 
the  pleasure  of  a  visit  from  General  Upton,  who  had  just 
returned  from  his  tour  around  the  world,  and  hastened  to 
Texas  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  his  little  namesake. 

Alexander  made  many  friends  during  his  stay  in  Texas, 
both  on  the  north  and  south  side  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Diaz, 
who  was  then  in  exile,  was  entertained  at  his  house  at  Fort 
Brown,  and  when  he  afterward  became  President  of  Mexico 
was  anxious  to  reciprocate  the  hospitality.  Alexander  received 
many  little  souvenirs  from  him  and  other  Mexican  gentlemen, 
which  had  been  sent  in  acknowledgment  of  his  courtesy, 
among  other  things  an  enormous  Mexican  sombrero,  of  gray 
felt,  embroidered  with  silver,  which  had  been  made  for  him  in 
Zacatecas,  and  with  his  initials  worked  in  it  in  silver  bullion. 
I  mention  these  things  to  show  the  cordial  relations  that  Alex- 
ander was  able  to  maintain  on  the  frontier,  not  only  with  the 
settlers,  who  always  admired  and  respected  him,  but  also  with 
the  Mexicans. 

In  March,  1879,  Alexander  was  promoted  to  be  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  2d  Cavalry,  which  was  then  stationed  in 
Montana.  He  went  East  on  six  months'  leave,  which  he  spent 
at  Willowbrook,  and  in  October,  1879,  started  with  his  family 
for  Fort  Ellis,  Montana.  This  was  a  two  weeks'  journey,  in- 
cluding a  week's  camping  out,  as  Fort  Ellis  was  then  a  long 


S£R  VI NG  IN  MO  NT  A  NA.  107 

distance  from  the  railroad.  Alexander  remained  in  command 
of  this  post  for  two  years,  and  made  many  pleasant  friends  in 
his  new  regiment  and  also  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Bozeman. 
Up  to  this  time  all  his  life  on  the  frontier  had  been  spent  in 
warm  climates,  and  the  change  from  the  extreme  southern  lati- 
tude of  Fort  Brown  to  the  rigor  of  a  mountain  winter  was  a  se- 
vere one.  Montana  had  one  great  attraction  for  him,  however, 
in  its  fine  hunting.  He  had  always  been  an  enthusiastic  and 
most  successful  sportsman,  and  had  hunted  and  fished  not  only 
in  Kentucky,  Virginia  and  Missouri,  but  all  through  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  had  killed  grizzlies  in  Colorado  and  buffalo  on  the 
plains,  and  now  in  Montana  he  found  himself  in  the  home  of 
the  elk  and  mountain  sheep.  He  had  a  fine  pack  of  hounds, 
and,  when  his  official  occupations  would  permit,  reverted  once 
more  to  his  old  amusement,  making  many  fine  bags,  and  enjoy- 
ing the  sport  highly. 

In  the  summer  of  1881  he  was  transferred  to  the  com- 
mand of  Fort  Custer,  the  headquarters  of  his  regiment.  It 
was  while  he  was  at  this  post  that  his  health  first  began 
to  give  way.  He  suffered  from  severe  attacks  of  malarial 
rheumatism,  and  in  July,  1866,  was  so  ill  that  he  had  to  be 
carried  on  a  mattress  to  the  railroad,  thirty  miles  distant,  and 
taken  East.  He  never  joined  his  regiment  again.  His  health 
was  improved  for  awhile  by  a  change  to  the  sea-shore,  aided  by 
the  most  skillful  medical  treatment,  and  careful  nursing,  but  the 
following  winter  he  was  taken  dangerously  ill  with  pneumonia, 
attended  with  serious  complications,  and  for  many  months  his 


io8  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

life  was  despaired  of.  In  the  fall  of  1884,  however,  his  strong 
constitution  rallied,  and  he  once  more  regained  an  appearance 
of  health,  although  his  disease  was  only  kept  at  bay  by  vigi- 
lant care. 

He  spent  the  winter  of  1884-5  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida, 
with  his  wife  and  son,  and  was  once  more  able  to  enjoy  his  old 
pastimes  of  sailing  and  fishing,  and  the  companionship  of  old 
friends  and  relatives  residing  there. 

In  the  spring  of  1885  an  effort  was  made  by  Alexander's 
friends  to  have  him  appointed  Deputy  Governor  of  the  Sol- 
diers' Home,  near  Washington,  as  they  felt  that  his  long  and 
arduous  services  entitled  him  to  such  consideration.  Among 
the  many  letters  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  War  with  the 
application,  was  the  following,  addressed  to  Mrs.  Alexander : 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  19,  1885. 

MY  DEAR  MRS.  ALEXANDER  : — I  have  your  letter  of  the  i6th,  and  as  I 
feel  it  somewhat  indelicate  for  me  to  meddle  with  Army  details,  will  answer 
you  direct,  with  the  understanding  that  you  can  use  the  letter  with  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  or  any  other  person  who  can  aid  you  in  your  purpose  to  have 
Colonel  Alexander  detailed  as  Deputy  Governor  of  the  Soldiers'  Home  at 
Washington,  or  other  like  duty  at  the  East.  Colonel  Alexander  was  on 
General  Frank  P.  Blair's  Staff  as  A.  D.  C,  or  Inspector-General  [really  as 
Assistant  Adjutant-General  and  Chief  of  Staff],  during  the  campaign  of 
1864-5,  which  brought  him  under  my  personal  observation  daily.  He  was 
then  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  very  handsome,  a  splendid  horseman,  bold 
and  enterprising,  of  infinite  use  to  his  chief,  and  rendered  conspicuous  serv- 
ice, for  which  he  was  repeatedly  brevetted. 

On  the  re-organization  after  the  War,  he  was  retained  as  Major  of  the 
8th  Cavalry,  and  I  shall  ever  remember  him  and  you  when  I  sought  refuge  in 
your  camp  at  the  Spanish  Peaks  to  repair  my  broken  wagon,  and  when  you 
both  escorted  me  to  Francisco's  Ranch  in  a  driving  snow-storm.  I  don't 


ON  SICK-LEA  VE.  109 

know  of  any  field  officer  of  cavalry  who  was  so  constantly  on  duty  with  his 
men  in  all  the  Indian  Wars  from  1866  to  1880  from  Texas  and  New  Mexico 
up  to  the  sources  of  the  Missouri.  That  he  now  suffers  from  malarial  rheu- 
matism is  the  natural  and  necessary  consequence  of  these  many  years  of 
exposure  to  the  cold  and  storms  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  it  is  but  fair 
and  just  that  both  he  and  you  should  enjoy  a  period  of  comfort  and  repose. 
Without,  therefore,  intending  to  prefer  one  over  any  other  of  the  many 
most  worthy  applicants  for  the  post  you  name,  I  assure  you  that  it  will  give 
me  special  pleasure  to  learn  that  the  Colonel  has  been  chosen  as  Deputy 
Governor  of  the  beautiful  Soldiers'  Home  at  Washington.  With  great 

respect,  your  friend, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

Notwithstanding  this  high  indorsement  the  detail  was 
not  made,  but  it  was,  perhaps,  just  as  well,  for  Alexander's 
health  was  never  afterward  such  as  would  have  justified  him  in 
undertaking  even  the  agreeable  duties  that  it  would  have 
brought  upon  him. 

As  stated  by  General  Sherman  in  the  letter  just  quoted,  it 
is  absolutely  true  that  no  field  officer  of  cavalry  had  been  more 
"constantly  on  duty  with  his  men  in  all  the  Indial^Wars  from 
1866  to  1880,  from  Texas,  New  Mexico  [and  Arizona],  up  to 
the  sources  of  the  Missouri  River,"  and  that  his  health  should 
have  broken  down  was  "  the  natural  and  necessary  cause  of 
these  many  years  of  exposure  to  the  hardships  and  storms  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains."  He  was  naturally  a  man  of  splendid 
physique  and  great  toughness  of  constitution,  but  withal  it  was 
not  strange  that  twenty-five  years  of  such  service  as  he  had 
gone  through  should  prove  to  be  too  much  for  even  him. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  Florida  he  was  ordered  before  a 
Board,  of  which  General  Hancock  was  president,  for  the  usual 


1 10  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

examination,  and  on  July  3d,  1885,  having  been  found  unfit  for 
further  active  duty,  was  placed  upon  the  Retired  List. 

He'  accepted  his  new  lot,  not  with  resignation,  but  with  a 
fair  degree  of  happiness  and  contentment.  The  old  home  at 
Willowbrook,  which  had  been  in  his  wife's  family  for  70  years, 
and  around  which  a  thousand  happy  memories  clustered,  was 
very  dear  to  him.  He  used  often  to  say  it  was  the  only  place 
for  which  he  had  formed  a  local  attachment  since  he  left  his 
birthplace  in  Kentucky,  and  he  and  General  Upton  had  agreed 
to  spend  the  evening  of  life  together  there,  when  30  years' 
service  should  enable  them  to  retire. 

In  the  house  built  by  Governor  Throop  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Owasco,  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  old  homestead, 
he  had  spent  his  first  days  of  married  life,  a  brief  happiness 
enjoyed  in  an  interval  of  an  arduous  campaign,  and  in  after- 
years  he  had  revisited  here  again  on  leave  of  absence.  After 
his  return  ^om  Florida  he  established  himself  permanently  at 
Willowbrook,  and  entered  with  enthusiasm  into  country  life, 
which  had  always  had  strong  attractions  for  him.  He  took 
great  interest  in  his  roses,  strawberries  and  vegetables,  as  well 
as  in  the  improvement  of  the  extensive  grounds,  which  show 
many  marks  of  his  fine  taste  and  judicious  care.  The  beauti- 
ful lake  was  a  never-failing  source  of  pleasure  to  him,  whether 
he  was  rowing  on  its  blue  waters,  fishing  in  their  transparent 
depths,  or  watching  the  sunset  reflected  therein.  His  fond- 
ness for  life  in  the  open  air  still  clung  to  him,  and  though  he 
was  no  longer  able  to  mount  his  horse,  he  keenly  enjoyed  his 


LIFE  AT  WILLOWBROOK.  in 

daily  drives  to  Auburn,  three  miles  and  a  half  distant,  or 
through  the  beautiful  rolling  country  which  surrounds  the  lake. 

For  two  summers  he  had  the  happiness  of  having  his 
mother  and  sisters  with  him  in  his  home,  and  welcomed 
there  some  of  his  old  Army  friends,  who  did  not  wonder  at 
his  laughing  declaration  that  the  Army  and  the  frontier  had 
no  longer  any  charm  for  him.  He  bore  the  trials  of  ill-health 
with  the  same  cheerful  courage  that  had  carried  him  through 
many  a  hard  campaign,  and  his  patience  and  self-forgetfulness 
could  only  be  understood  by  those  who  knew  the  depths  of  his 
religious  feeling,  and  his  perfect  confidence  that  his  Heavenly 
Father  had  ordered  all  things  well. 

Notwithstanding  his  retirement  Alexander  continued  to 
take  a  lively  interest  in  the  improvement  of  the  Military  Serv- 
ice, and,  even  after  his  entire  separation  from  Army  life,  partic- 
ipated in  the  discussions  which  had  that  end  in  view.  He  was 
a  vigorous  and  accurate  writer  as  well  as  a  clear  and  intelligent 
thinker,  and  when  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War  in  1886 
urged  that  a  more  rigid  system  of  examination  for  promotion 
should  be  adopted  by  Congress,  he  wrote  as  follows  to  the 
editor  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal  : 

It  'appears  to  me  that  sufficient  attention  has  not  been  given  in  the  pub- 
lic press  to  the  recommendations  of  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War  in 
regard  to  the  examination  of  officers  for  promotion.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
important  measures  that  has  been  brought  to  the  attention  of  Congress  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Army. 

It  is  obvious  to  every  one  that  our  field  officers  are  becoming  superan- 
nuated and  unfit  for  the  active  duties  of  their  profession. 


1 12  ANDRE  W  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

In  all  the  operations  against  the  Apaches  the  field  officers  were  conspic- 
uous by  their  absence.  Although  squadrons  and  battalions  were  in  the 
field  under  captains  and  lieutenants,  and  in  one  case  where  a  battalion  of 
infantry  had  to  change  station  involving  a  march  of  some  150  miles,  the  field 
officer  in  command  was  unable  to  accompany  them  and  the  movement  was 
made  under  a  lieutenant.  Twenty  years  ago  no  movement  of  troops,  scout- 
ing or  otherwise,  occurred  without  the  presence  of  a  field  officer  when  the 
size  of  the  command  justified,  and  in  every  regiment  officers  of  this  grade 
were  found  capable  of  the  most  arduous  duties.  Now  the  reverse  is  the  case, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  at  least  three-fifths  of  our  field  officers  are  physically 
unfit  for  any  except  post  duty.  In  fact,  our  Army  is  gradually  getting  into 
the  condition  of  the  English  Army  in  India  before  the  great  Sepoy  mutiny, 
as  described  by  Hodson,  of  Hodson's  Horse.  In  one  of  his  letters,  speak- 
ing of  the  system  of  the  Indian  Army,  this  distinguished  officer  says  :  "  At 
the  age  at  which  officers  become  colonels  and  majors,  not  one  in  fifty  is  able 
to  stand  the  wear  and  tear  of  Indian  service.  They  become  still  more  worn  in 
mind  than  in  body.  All  elasticity  is  gone  ;  all  energy  and  enterprise  worn 
out  ;  they  become,  after  a  fortnight's  campaign,  a  burden  to  themselves,  an 
annoyance  to  those  under  them  and  a  terror  to  every  one  but  the  enemy. 
The  officer  who  commanded  the  cavalry  brigade  which  so  disgraced  the 
Service  at  Chillianwalla,  was  not  able  to  mount  a  horse  without  the  assist- 
ance of  two  men.  A  brigadier  of  infantry,  under  whom  I  served  during  the 
then  most  critical  days  of  the  late  War,  could  not  see  his  regiment,  when  I 
led  his  horse  by  the  bridle,  until  its  nose  touched  the  bayonets,  and  then  he 
said  faintly,  '  Pray,  which  way  are  the  men  facing,  Mr.  Hodson  ? ' ' 

Now  there  are  cavalry  officers  in  our  Service  who,  if  mounted,  would 
need  more  than  two  men  to  hold  them  on  at  a  gallop,  and  a  ten-mile  march 
would  put  them  in  hospital.  The  infantry  arm  of  the  Service  is,  if  anything, 
in  worse  condition.  Many  of  the  "  old  captains  "  who  served  during  the 
War  of  Secession,  are  in  the  same  category.  This  state  of  affairs  is  growing 
worse  from  year  to  year,  and  it  is  time  for  the  authorities  to  take  steps  to 
stop  it.  No  officer  of  right  feeling  could  object  to  an  examination  by  a 
competent  Board,  and  if  he  did  it  would  \3tprima  facie  evidence  that  he  was 
unfit  for  his  position.  No  government  on  earth  is  so  liberal  toward  its  offi- 
cers and  soldiers,  and  it  is  therefore  entitled  to  the  best  service.  The 
increase  of  the  retired  list  would  be  but  temporary,  as  in  the  course  of  nat- 


FAILING  STRENGTH.  113 

ure  these  broken-down  veterans  would  soon  disappear.  The  impulse  given 
to  promotion  would  add  new  life  to  the  Army,  and  make  the  younger  ele- 
ment ambitious  and  studious.  Let  the  young  men,  therefore,  bestir  them- 
selves with  their  friends  in  Congress  to  have  this  measure  pushed  through 
at  the  present  session. 

When  he,  with  his  own  incomparable  constitution,  had 
failed  he  knew  that  others  of  his  own  age  had  not  withstood 
the  ravages  of  time  and  continuous  service,  and  that  it  was 
but  the  part  of  common  prudence  to  require  a  rigid  examina- 
tion as  a  condition  precedent  to  every  promotion.  He  was  a 
great  student  of  books,  and  although  his  disease  gradually 
grew  worse  and  at  times  threatened  to  carry  him  off,  he  held 
on  bravely  and  would  not  surrender  till  the  last  moment.  He 
read  much,  and  in  the  well-stored  library  at  Willowbrook  found 
a  constant  source  of  instruction  and  contentment,  which  en- 
dured to  within  a  few  weeks  of  the  end. 

And  notwithstanding  his  enjoyment  of  what  seemed  to  be 
fairly  good  health  for  the  last  two  years,  the  end  was  near  at 
hand.  After  passing  through  the  winter  of  1886-7,  without 
serious  inconvenience,  he  was  attacked  by  what  at  first  was 
thought  to  be  nothing  worse  than  a  severe  cold.  His  wife  with 
anxious  and  unremitting  care  did  everything  in  her  power  to 
nurse  back  his  failing  strength,  but  finding  her  efforts  unavailing, 
under  advice  of  the  family  physician  she  prevailed  upon  him  to 
go  to  the  sea-coast  in  hopes  that  the  change  would  benefit 
him.  Yielding  implicitly  to  her  judgment,  but  apparently  more 
with  a  desire  to  please  her  than  with  any  real  confidence  in 
the  efficacy  of  sea  air  in  his  case,  he  consented  to  make  the 


1 14  ANDREW  JON  A  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

proposed  visit,  and  accordingly  in  April  went  with  her  to  At- 
lantic City.  He  stopped  on  the  way,  at  Philadelphia,  to  see  his 
sister  and  her  family,  and  spent  a  week  of  happiness  if  not  of 
immunity  from  pain  among  them.  Then,  as  if  anxious  to  still 
further  relieve  his  wife's  growing  solicitude,  he  completed  the 
journey,  but  after  a  few  days  at  the  seaside  it  became  evident, 
in  spite  of  a  temporary  rally,  that  he  was  growing  worse  instead 
of  better.  The  heart  of  the  dying  soldier  longed  for  the 
sacred  spot  around  which  clustered  the  dearest  memories  of 
his  earthly  pilgrimage,  and  he  gladly  acquiesced  in  his 
wife's  suggestion  that  they  should  return  home,  his  physi- 
cians believing  that  he  was  able  to  make  the  journey. 
With  an  overpowering  consciousness  that  the  fatal  day  she 
had  so  fought  against  and  dreaded  for  years  was  now 'close 
at  hand,  the  stricken  wife  gave  up  her  last  hope  for  her 
husband's  life,  and,  with  a  cheerful  countenance  but  a  sink- 
ing heart,  set  out  with  him  for  Willowbrook.  Calling  her 
brother  to  her  assistance  they  succeeded  in  getting  the  invalid 
to  New  York  with  but  little  discomfort ;  but  he  passed  -a 
restless  night  at  the  hotel  which  sheltered  him.  The  next 
day  they  resumed  their  journey  by  the  Hudson  River  and 
New  York  Central  Railroad,  and  had  nearly  reached  Utica, 
when  it  was  apparent  that  a  great  change  was  at  hand.  The 
General  had  borne  the  fatigue  of  traveling  with  unwonted  cheer- 
fulness but  had  early  shown  signs  of  unusual  difficulty  of  breath- 
ing. The  car  window  was  opened  and  his  wife  and  brother 
fanned  him  continuously,  but  the  difficulty  did  not  pass  away. 


DEATH.  -  115 

She  then  asked  him  if  he  did  not  think  it  would  be  best  to  stop 
over  night  at  Utica.  He  replied,  gravely  and  calmly,  "  Matters 
are  getting  very  serious  with  me — I  am  dying  !  "  He  rose  to 
his  feet,  and  standing  at  his  full  height,  strove  again  to  inflate 
his  lungs,  but  with  only  partial  success.  After  a  few  brief 
moments  he  resumed  his  seat  beside  his  wife,  and  resting  his 
head  gently  upon  her  shoulder,  with  one  long  sigh,  and  with- 
out a  struggle,  the  gallant  soldier  calmly  yielded  up  his  life 
to  Him  who  gave  it. 

Hero-like  he  met  death  almost  upon  his  feet,  bravely 
yet  hopelessly  contending  with  him  for  the  mastery,  but  when 
it  was  evident  that  his  time  had  come,  yielding  to  the  relentless 
victor  serenely  and  peacefully  as  becomes  the  Christian  gentle- 
man. 

His  death  occurred  on  the  fourth  day  of  May,  1887,  in  the 
fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

Thus  one  by  one  the  heroes  of  the  great  conflict  pass  away, 
and  they  were  heroes  such  as  the  world  has  rarely  seen.  Look- 
ing back  upon  the  noble  life  which  I  have  so  inadequately  de- 
scribed, I  cannot  recall  one  selfish  thought  nor  one  ungener- 
ous deed  which  could  be  charged  against  it.  It  was  as  pure 
and  beautiful  as  any  woman's,  and  yet  as  brave  and  chivalric  as 
any  paladin's.  It  followed  everywhere,  and  through  every 
danger  the  lofty  banner  of  Duty — duty  to  country,  to  all  man- 
kind, and  to  God !  Its  patriotism  knew  no  section,  and  was 
limited  by  no  State  lines,  but  was  as  broad  and  unconfined  as 
the  continent  itself.  Political  sophistry  and  sectional  pride 


1 16  ANDREW  JONA  THAN  ALEXANDER. 

were  alike  powerless  to  disturb  by  so  much  as  a  hair's  breadth 
the  simple  faith  which  regarded  the  whole  Union  as  its  own, 
and  knew  no  North,  no  South,  no  East,  no  West.  With  no 
bitterness  whatever  against  those  who  differed  from  him  in 
regard  to  the  cause  or  issue  of  the  great  conflict,- but  with  kind- 
ness and  charity  to  all  as  occasion  offered,  it  is  but  just  to  add 
that  Alexander  cheerfully  gave  from  the  first  the  whole  of  his 
mind,  strength  and  character  to  the  support  of  the  National 
Unity,  and  had  it  been  required  upon  the  field  of  battle,  there 
can  be  no  shadow  of  doubt,  would  have  given  his  life  also,  with 
no  regret  except  that  he  had  but  one  to  lay  down,  in  the  great 
emergency  which  had  come  upon  his  beloved  country. 

Gentle  and  considerate  in  social  life,  faithful  and  devoted 
in  friendship,  calm  and  deliberate  in  council,  vigilant  and  in- 
dustrious in  camp  and  on  the  march,  bold  and  resolute  in 
action,  he  was  a  model  husband  and  father,  a  model  citizen 
and  a  model  soldier.  Fortunately  such  characters  cannot  in 
God's  providence  altogether  die  or  be  forgotten.  And  so  long 
as  we  continue  to  value  them  while  living,  and  to  cherish,  in 
any  broad  and  generous  way,  their  memory  and  example  after 
death,  so  long  may  we  hope  that  our  liberties  will  remain  un- 
diminished  and  our  country  united,  independent  and  invincible. 


APPENDIX. 


RECOLLECTIONS 
OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG. 

DURING  the  campaign  ending  with  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  I 
was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  Third  Army  Corps,  commanded  by 
General  Stoneman.  General  Stoneman  had  distinguished  himself 
before  the  War  as  one  of  the  best  cavalry  officers  and  most  enterprising 
Indian  fighters  in  the  "  Old  Army."  When  the  War  broke  out  and  Twiggs 
surrendered  the  troops  in  Texas  to  the  rebels,  Stoneman,  who  was  stationed 
in  southern  Texas,  refused  to  obey  the  traitorous  order,  seized  shipping  and 
transported  his  squadron  of  cavalry  to  the  North.  When  McClellan  came 
East  he  made  him  his  Chief  of  Cavalry,  and  charged  him  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  Arm  of  the  Service.  In  this  position  he  had  various  important 
commands  during  the  Peninsular  campaign,  which  he  conducted  with  so 
much  ability  that  after  the  battle  of  Antietam  he  was  intrusted  with  the 
command  of  the  Third  Army  Corps,  which  had  been  recently  held  by  Gen- 
eral Heintzelman. 

Two  days  before  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  our  Corps  was  ordered  to 
be  in  readiness  to  follow  and  support  the  Second  Corps,  which  was  to  cross 
the  Rappahannock,  opposite  the  town,  and  it  was  therefore  brought  up  close 
to  the  river,  concealed,  however,  by  the  hills,  and  held  in  readiness  to  move 
at  a  moment's  notice.  On  the  i2th  of  December  over  100  guns  were  placed 
in  position,  and  commenced  a  bombardment  of  the  town  and  right  bank  of 
the  river  for  the  purpose  of  covering  the  construction  of  the  pontoon 


ii8  APPENDIX. 

bridges.  A  body  of  the  enemy,  however,  clung  obstinately  to  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  prevented  the  laying  of  the  pontoons  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon. During  the  bombardment  I  spent  some  hours  on  the  river  bank 
watching  the  result,  and  was  astonished  to  see  what  little  effect  this  storm 
of  shot  and  shell  had  on  the  town.  I  expected  to  see  the  houses  melt  away 
at  once  before  such  a  terrible  fire,  but  after  hours  had  elapsed  and  the  artil- 
lerymen were  exhausted  with  their  tremendous  labors  but  little  damage  was 
apparent.  There  was  a  large  clock  in  a  steeple  in  the  center  of  the  town 
which  tolled  out  the  hours  and  half  hours  as  quietly  as  if  it  only  regulated 
the  occupations  of  peaceful  life,  and  one  young  lieutenant  of  artillery,  in 
the  battery  where  I  spent  most  of  the  day,  was  so  exasperated  at  its  monot- 
onous sound  that  he  fired  a  shot  at  it  every  time  it  struck,  without  effect, 
however,  as  I  heard  the  solemn  peal  long  after  the  firing  had  ceased,  and 
the  worn-out  soldiers  were  quietly  sleeping  beside  the  smoking  cannon. 
During  the  day  the  enemy's  guns  had  maintained  a  grim  silence,  but  at 
dusk,  when  our  firing  had  ceased,  they  commenced  on  Marye's  Heights,  and, 
continuing  along  the  line  to  their  right,  the  flash  of  the  guns  in  the  gather- 
ing darkness,  as  battery  after  battery  opened  fire,  showed  us  the  formidable 
character  of  their  position. 

After  the  Second  Corps  had  crossed,  Whipple's  Division  of  the  Third 
Corps  was  left  as  a  reserve  to  the  Second  Corps,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
Third  was  ordered  to  report  to  General  Franklin,  who  had  made  an  easy 
crossing  on  the  left.  The  roads  were  bad  and  encumbered  with  trains,  etc., 
making  the  march  slow  and  tedious,  so  that  we  did  not  reach  the  river  at 
Franklin's  Crossing  until  about  daylight.  Here  we  were  halted  to  get  break- 
fast and  await  further  orders.  About  9  or  10  o'clock  Meade's  Division  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  was  ordered  forward.  The  battle-field  in  our  front 
was  an  open  plain  for  about  a  mile  from  the  river  to  some  hills,  which  were 
covered  with  dense  woods  and  underbrush.  A  railroad  skirted  the  timber 
along  the  foot  of  these  hills  and  a  sunken  road  lay  midway.  The  enemy 
had  taken  position  in  the  woods  .behind  the  railroad,  so  that  they  were 
entirely  concealed  from  view. 

Meade  moved  steadily  across  the  field  and  entered  the  woods,  when  we 
heard  a  heavy  fire  which  told  us  that  the  battle  had  opened.  An  order  came 
to  send  a  Division  to  support  Meade.  Birney's  Division  of  our  Corps  imme- 
diately crossed  the  river,  and  as  the  head  of  it  reached  the  sunken  road  and 
turned  to  the  left  the  enemy  opened  some  batteries  on  it,  causing,  however, 


FREDERICKSB  URG.  119 

little  loss.  When  we  reached  the  rear  of  Meade's  Division  it  was  engaged 
in  a  most  desperate  struggle,  judging  from  the  crash  of  musketry  and 
cheers  of  the  combatants.  But  little  artillery  was  used  on  account  of  the 
denseness  of  the  woods.  Very  soon  wounded  men  and  stragglers  appeared 
in  the  field  in  rapidly  increasing  numbers,  and  then  the  whole  of  Meade's 
Division  came  back.  The  men  appeared  sullen  and  disheartened,  as  if  they 
had  been  badly  treated  and  sacrificed  by  being  sent  against  overpowering 
numbers  without  support.  One  large,  fine-looking  young  man  was  coming 
back  in  a  leisurely  way.  When  I  rode  up  in  front  of  him  I  said  :  "  Halt ! 
my  man  !  this  is  the  safest  place  !  Rally  right  here  in  this  sunken  road  !  " 
He  looked  at  me  contemptuously,  and,  taking  his  musket  by  the  butt,  flung 
it  thirty  feet  from  him,  exclaiming  :  "  I've  had  enough  of  this  sort  of  d — d 
business,"  and  walked  on  toward  the  river  bank. 

The  enemy  followed  up  Meade's  Division  closely  until  our  front  was  cleared 
of  the  retiring  forces  when  the  rebels  were,  I  should  think,  not  over  seventy 
or  eighty  yards  distant,  and  were  much  disordered  by  their  eager  pursuit.* 
Two  batteries  of  "  Napoleons  "  had  been  placed  about  the  center  of  our 
line,  and  when  the  command  was  given  to  "  commence  firing  "  these,  with 
the  entire  line,  opened  with  a  vigor  I  have  never  seen  surpassed.  I  was  near 
the  batteries,  and  I  think  they  must  have  fired  without  sponging,  as  there  ap- 
peared to  be  no  interval  between  the  roar  of  the  guns.  After  a  few  minutes 
the  firing  was  stopped,  and  when  the  smoke  cleared  the  enemy  had  disap- 
peared, except  the  wounded  and  one  regiment  of  Georgia  troops  which  had 
gotten  into  a  ditch  in  our  front,  and  could  not  retreat.  These  were  taken 
prisoners,  and  Ward's  brigade  sent  to  follow  up  the  retiring  rebels.  It  suc- 

*  An  English  volunteer  officer  in  a  recent  volume,  entitled  "  The  Campaign  of  Fredericks- 
burg,"  says:  "  Burnside's  indecision  and  vacillation  led  Franklin  in  turn  to  resort  to  half 
measures.  This  was  seen  when  Meade,  with  less  than  3000  men  in  his  division,  actually 
broke  the  Confederate  line  at  some  too  feebly  guarded  woods  in  Jackson's  front,  and  his 
regiments  found  themselves  in  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  position.  At  this  crisis  of  the  fight, 
when  every  available  battalion  should  have  been  hurried  to  the  front  and  poured  through  the 
still  open  gap,  when  a  determined  rush  of  the  whole  fighting  line  and  supports  would  have 
probably  driven  Hill  and  Early  back  upon  the  reserves,  Franklin,  incapable  of  a  bold  offen- 
sive, made  no  effort  to  assist  his  lieutenant,  and,  despite  the  urgent  appeal  for  succor,  left  the 
gallant  Pennsylvanians  to  their  fate.  If  Birney  had  responded  to  Meade's  cry  for  help,  and, 
with  Newton  on  his  right,  swept  across  the  open,  and,  overwhelming  Lane  and  Archer,  had 
pressed  on  to  the  military  road  ;  if  Doubleday,  abandoning  the  passive  defensive,  had  threat- 
ened Stewart  and  induced  Jackson  to  detach  to  the  aid  of  the  cavalry  a  portion  of  his  reserve, 
all  might  have  yet  been  well." — Ed.  Weekly  Press. 


120  APPENDIX. 

ceeded  in  reaching  the  railroad,  but  was  speedily  forced  back  by  overpowering 
numbers.  Sickles'  Division  had  meantime  been  brought  across  and  formed 
on  the  right  of  Birney.  Sickles'  right  connected  with  the  Sixth,  and  Birney's 
left  with  Doubleday's  Division,  which  made  a  curve  back  to  the  north  and 
rested  on  the  river.  This  was  the  last  severe  fighting  of  Franklin's  com- 
mand, although  heavy  skirmishing  continued  until  dark,  with  one  slight 
attack  on  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  command  lay  in  an  open  field  exposed  to 
a  heavy  artillery  fire  from  the  right  and  left,  both  of  which  almost  enfiladed 
the  line. 

When  the  line  had  been  firmly  established,  General  Stoneman  sent  me 
to  report  the  fact  to  General  Franklin.  Franklin's  headquarters  were  in  a 
grove  of  large  trees  in  rear  of  the  Bernard  House,  and  I  found  him,  General 
W.  F.  Smith  and  General  James  A.  Hardie  seated  and  standing  behind  a 
large  tree  near  the  south-west  angle  of  the  grove.  Bayard's  division  of  cav- 
alry and  Gibson's  battery  of  horse  artillery  were  standing  in  the  open  ground 
a  short  distance  to  the  west.  I  dismounted  some  twenty  or  thirty  yards 
from  General  Franklin,  and  walked  to  where  he  was  sitting  on  an  old  door. 
Before  reaching  him,  I  saw  General  Bayard  standing  against  a  tree,  talking 
with  several  officers.  I  reported  to  General  Franklin  and  was  told  to  wait  for 
orders.  I  stepped  back  to  where  General  Bayard  was,  and  found  him  talk- 
ing to  Captain  Gibson  and  Major  Falls,  of  the  ist  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  A 
number  of  staff  officers  were  lying  behind  the  tree  against  which  Bayard 
was  leaning,  some  holding  their  horses. 

I  had  known  Bayard  for  some  years  quite  intimately,  having  been  with 
him  in  St.  Louis  a  good  deal  when  he  was  recovering  from  a  wound  in  the 
face,  given  by  an  Indian  in  a  fight  on  the  plains,  and  therefore  stopped  to 
converse  with  him.  The  enemy  could  see  from  the  heights  beyond  the  rail- 
road the  arrival  and  departure  of  numerous  staff  officers  and  messengers, 
and  rightly  judged  the  location  of  the  general  headquarters.  Although  a 
hospital  flag  was  flying  outside  the  grove,  they  occasionally  searched  it  with 
their  artillery.  While  I  was  talking  to  Bayard  they  opened  a  very  severe 
fire  from  several  batteries,  and  the  shot  and  shell  poured  into  the  grove. 
Although  entirely  exposed,  Bayard  seemed  to  tak£  no  notice  of  the  deadly 
missiles,  but  continued  chatting  as  gayly  as  if  in  no  danger.  Captain  (now 
General)  Gibson  invited  us  to  walk  over  to  his  battery  and  get  some  lunch, 
and  the  others  accepted,  but  I  told  him  I  was  waiting  orders  and  could  not 
leave,  but  would  get  behind  the  big  tree  to  our  front,  as  I  saw  that  every  one 


FREDERICKSBURG.  121 

else  was  covered.  I  turned  and  had  walked  toward  the  tree  a  rod  or  two. 
when  a  shot  struck  near  me  that  ricocheted  and  struck  the  tree,  crushing 
Bayard's  hip  in  its  passage.  It  also  cut  General  Gibson's  saber  sling  and 
tore  his  coat.  I  turned  at  once  and  saw  several  persons  down.  Running 
back  I  saw  that  no  one  was  seriously  injured  except  General  Bayard,  who 
was  immediately  carried  to  the  Bernard  House,  where  he  expired  the  next 
day.  Bayard  was  an  ideal  cavalry  officer  ;  tall,  slight  and  long-limbed,  he 
sat  a  horse  a^s  if  part  of  the  animal.  He  had  all  the  youthful  elan  of  Custer, 
with  the  thoughtful  steadiness  of  John  Buford.  His  dark,  flashing  eye  and 
dashing  appearance  gave  courage  and  spirit  to  his  men,  and  his  genial 
manner  made  him  an  universal  favorite.  He  was  one  of  the  youngest  brigadier- 
generals  in  the  Army,  and  had  won  his  stars  by  conspicuous  service  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy.  His  friends  and  admirers  had  marked  out  for  him 
a  most  brilliant  career,  which  had  already  commenced,  and  which  was  cut 
short  in  so  unfortunate  a  manner.  The  shock  rendered  him  delirious,  but 
his  soldierly  spirit  continued  to  marshal  his  forces  in  imagination  until 
death  intervened. 

After  waiting  at  Franklin's  headquarters  some  hours  I  was  relieved,  and 
returned  to  General  Stoneman  on  the  field  in  front  of  the  sunken  road.  The 
men  and  officers  were  lying  in  the  open  field  without  any  other  protection 
than  the  irregularities  produced  by  former  cultivation.  I  saw  only  one 
earthwork  thrown  up,  which  I  was  informed  was  General  Doubleday's  head- 
quarters. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  I  was  on  some  duty  at  the  extreme  right  of  the 
skirmish  line  where  it  joined  that  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  when  a  force  of  the 
enemy,  amounting  to  about  a  brigade,  came  out  of  the  woods  to  my  right  at 
quick  time,  firing  as  they  advanced.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen 
an  attack  of  the  kind  and  as  I  was  quite  near  and  not  under  fire  I  saw  it  to 
great  advantage. 

As  the  line  burst  from  the  woods  they  commenced  firing  and  cheering, 
and  I  observed  by  the  puffs  of  smoke  that  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  muskets 
were  fired  at  an  angle  of  sixty  or  seventy  degrees,  making  the  fire  harmless. 
The  attack  was  easily  repulsed  by  the  skirmish  line,  which  (I  think)  con- 
sisted of  the  Vermont  Brigade.  After  this  all  became  quiet.  Fortunately 
the  night  was  unusually  warm,  as  we  had  to  bivouac  without  fire  or  shelter. 
I  for  one  slept  profoundly  with  no  other  bedding  than  an  India  rubber 
blanket  and  overcoat. 


122  APPENDIX. 

Before  daylight  the  next  morning  we  were  again  under  arms  expecting 
to  renew  the  struggle,  but  to  our  surprise  the  skirmishers  continued  silent. 
In  a  short  time  it  was  reported  that  the  skirmishers  had  without  consultation 
with  their  superiors  agreed  to  suspend  hostilities  until  their  dead  and 
wounded  comrades,  who  lay  between  the  lines,  were  removed.  They  at 
once  mingled  in  the  most  amicable  way  and  began  their  humane  office.  As 
such  a  truce  was  contrary  to  all  the  rules  of  War  the  officers  from  both  sides 
rushed  among  them,  making  frantic  exertions  to  restore  ord^r.  But  the 
men's  warlike  instincts  had  no  doubt  been  softened  by  the  groans  and  cries 
of  their  wounded  comrades  during  the  stillness  of  the  long  night,  and  no 
efforts  to  bring  about  a  renewal  of  hostilities  could  prevail  until  the  wounded 
and  dead  were  removed.  It  was  therefore  deemed  best  by  the  proper 
authorities  to  establish  a  flag  of  truce  for  this  purpose.  Regular  details 
were  then  made  and  the  removal  speedily  accomplished,  the  men  on  either 
side  mingling  in  the  most  friendly  manner  for  the  accomplishment  of  their 
sad  duties.  I  was  one  of  a  number  of  officers  with  the  flags,  midway 
between  the  hostile  armies,  when  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  came  up.  I  had 
known  General  Stuart  slightly  before  the  War  and  recalled  myself  to  him. 
He  was  then  at  the  height  of  his  military  reputation,  and  was  the  object  of 
curiosity  and  admiration  to  the  Confederate  as  well  as  Union  troops,  as 
could  be  seen  by  the  groups  of  men  of  both  Armies  who  stopped  and 
stared  at  him.  He  had  a  very  martial  appearance,  being  dressed  in  a  new 
suit  of  bluish-gray  cloth  with  the  gaudy  insignia  of  his  rank  on  sleeves  and 
collar,  a  pair  of  handsome,  new  horseman's  boots,  with  gold  spurs  attached, 
and  a  broad-brimmed,  soft  felt  hat,  from  which  drooped  a  long,  rather  seedy 
ostrich  plume.  While  talking  he  rested  on,  and  played  with,  a  very  hand- 
some long  French  saber.  Altogether  he  was  a  very  striking  figure,  to  which 
his  great  reputation  as  a  cavalry  officer  added  much  interest.  After  a  short 
conversation  and  a  few  questions  about  some  of  his  old  friends  he  moved 
away. 

The  wreck  of  the  previous  day's  battle  having  been  removed  the  flags  of 
truce  were  withdrawn  and  we  resumed  our  hostile  attitude,  but  to  the  best 
of  my  recollection  no  shots  were  fired  during  the  day  in  front  of  Franklin's 
command.  The  i4th  of  December  was  a  long,  weary  day  of  expectancy. 
Occasional  bursts  of  cannon-firing  at  Fredericksburg,  accompanied  by  drop- 
ping musket-shots,  kept  us  on  the  alert,  but  finally,  as  darkness  came,  we 
received  orders  to  recross  the  river.  The  night  was  dark  starlight.  It 


FREDERICKSBURG.  123 

became  my  duty  to  withdraw  a  portion  of  the  skirmish  line.  This  was  a 
very  delicate  affair,  as  the  safety  of  the  command  depended  upon  the 
secrecy  of  the  movement.  Soon  after  dark  I  visited  all  the  officers  of  our 
skirmishers  and  directed  them  to  meet  me  at  a  designated  point,  after  notify- 
ing their  men  of  the  anticipated  movements  and  giving  them  the  necessary 
cautions.  After  we  assembled  we  waited  with  a  good  deal  of  trepidation 
for  the  final  orders  to  withdraw,  as  the  least  indiscretion  might  have  brought 
a  heavy  force  upon  us  and  possible  disaster.  Finally  the  orders  came  and 
we  quietly  separated,  giving  the  men  directions  to  find  the  best  way  back 
to  the  bridges  and  join  their  regiments  as  they  could.  As  I  was  riding 
slowly  back  toward  the  river,  I  saw  a  dark  line  in  front  of  me  which  I 
mistook  for  one  of  the  roads  made  by  the  artillery,  but  upon  urging  my 
horse  up  to  it  I  found  it  was  a  column  of  infantry,  moving  as  silently  as 
ghosts.  No  rattling  of  canteens,  bayonets,  scabbards  or  arms  indicated 
their  presence.  It  was  almost  daylight  before  I  crossed  the  bridge,  and 
a  few  minutes  after  the  bridges  were  taken  up.  I  reached  our  camp,  which 
had  not  been  moved  to  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  and  found  a  cup  of 
hot  coffee  and  some  breakfast,  which  were  taken  as  gratefully  as  any  meal 
I  ever  ate.  As  the  daylight  advanced  a  party  of  us  rode  out  into  the 
open  ground  near  the  river  to  see  what  the  enemy  was  doing.  As  soon 
as  they  found  out  that  we  had  recrossed  the  river  they  sent  a  heavy 
skirmish  line  down  to  the  bank,  capturing  a  few  stragglers  who  had  over- 
slept themselves.  One  battery,  seeing  our  group  of  horsemen,  opened  a 
spiteful  fire  upon  us,  upon  which  we  galloped  into  the  woods  and  turned 
our  backs  finally  and  cheerfully  upon  the  bloody  battle-field  of  Fredericks- 

A.  J.  ALEXANDER. 

AUBURN,  N.  Y. 


124  APPENDIX. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ATLANTA. 

The  great  Army  with  which  Sherman  captured  Atlanta  consisted  of  three 
smaller  armies,  as  they  were  called,  viz.,  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  com- 
manded by  General  Thomas,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  General  McPherson, 
and  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  General  Schofield.  The  first  aggregated  about 
60,000  men,  the  second  about  30,000,  and  the  last  about  18,000.  This  anoma- 
lous divison  of  his  Army  by  so  great  a  soldier  as  Sherman  has  been  a  subject 
of  comment  by  military  men  up  to  this  time.  But  whatever  may  have 
been  the  reasons,  it  acted  unfairly  in  the  general  movements  of  his  command. 
The  "Army  of  the  Cumberland"  had  the  lethargic  qualities  of  its  great  com- 
mander, and  was  too  large  and  heavy  to  make  flank  movements,  therefore  it 
moved  solemnly  down  the  railroad  and  held  the  line  of  communications.  The 
Army  of  the  Ohio  (which  consisted  of  only  one  Corps)  was  too  small,  and 
consequently  most  of  the  active  work  fell  upon  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee, 
which  was  sent  from  right  to  left  as  the  exigencies  of  the  campaign  demanded. 
The  soldiers  (in  their  emphatic  language)  called  it "  Sherman's  whip-cracker," 
for  whenever  he  swung  his  whip  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  "  popped."  In 
plain  language,  whenever  he  made  one  of  his  many  flank  movements  he  used 
the  Army  of  the  Tennesse,  which  besides  its  mobile  size  was  composed  of  the 
elite  of  the  men  of  the  North-west,  was  Sherman's  old  Army,  and  was  officered 
by  men  with  whom  he  was  familiar,  and  in  whom  he  placed  the  implicit  con- 
fidence justified  by  their  conduct  in  many  severe  campaigns  and  hard-fought 
battles.  The  narrative  which  is  told  below  follows  the  fortunes  of  this  Army,  as 
the  writer  was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  command- 
ed by  Major-General  Frank  P.  Blair.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  great  majority 
of  the  trained  professional  officers  and  soldiers,  both  North  and  South,  were 
drawn  to  the  Eastern  Armies,  where  the  capitals  of  the  contending  powers 
were  the  objective  points  ;  whereas,  in  the  great  West,  the  troops,  as  a  rule, 
had  to  learn  the  trade  of  War  by  experience  and  hard  knocks.  Thus  while 
corps,  divisions  and  brigades  in  the  East  were  commanded  by  West  Pointers 
or  Mexican  veterans,  those  in  the  West  were  dependent  on  the  citizen  sol- 
diery, most  of  whom  had  never  seen  even  a  "  cornstalk  muster." 

This  condition  of  affairs  developed  an  unexpected  array  of  talent,  and 
speedily  brought  forward  men  competent  for  large  commands.  Among  the 


ATLANTA.  125 

most  prominent  of  the  citizen  soldiers  was  Major-General  Frank  P.  Blair,  of 
Missouri.  General  Blair  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  but  became  a  resident 
of  St,  Louis  in  early  manhood,  when  he  entered  upon  the  profession  of  the 
law,  and  soon  attained  the  prominence  which  his  talents  justified. 

General  Grant  spoke  of  him  as  a  "  full-fledged  Brigadier-General,"  and 
Sherman  as  a  "  Political  General,"  but  while  they  were  quietly  engaged  in 
civil  pursuits  General  Blair  was  organizing  and  drilling  companies,  regi- 
ments and  brigades,  arming  many  of  them  at  his  own  expense,  and  preserv- 
ing a  magnificent  empire  to  our  Government.  He  became  Colonel  of  the 
ist  Missouri  Volunteers,  was  soon  made  Brigadier  and  Major-General  for  dis- 
tinguished services  in  battle,  and  finally  Commander  of  the  Seventeenth  Army 
Corps.  General  Blair  had  no  millitary  ambition  save  to  do  his  duty  to  his 
country  in  the  position  where  his  ability  was  of  the  most  avail,  and  always 
mourned  over  the  ravages  of  war,  and  as  soon  as  peace  was  established  ex- 
erted all  his  statesmanship  to  alleviate  its  sufferings  and  conciliate  his  late 
enemies  by  all  means  in  his  power. 

When  Johnston  made  his  retreat  across  the  Chattahoochie  River,  the 
Seventeenth  Corps  was  on  the  extreme  right  at  Nickajack  Creek,  and  as  usual 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  was  ordered,  after  crossing  the  river,  to  the  extreme 
left,  passing  in  rear  of  the  other  Armies.  On  the  2oth  of  July  our  route  lay 
through  Decatur,  and  then  south  and  east  toward  Atlanta,  in  order  to  cover  the 
left  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps.  When  we  got  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Atlanta, 
we  met  the  enemy's  dismounted  cavalry,  which  was  pushed  rapidly  back,  not 
without  some  loss  on  both  sides.  On  our  side  General  Gresham  was  severely 
wounded  while  superintending  the  skirmishers  of  his  division.  Darkness 
found  us  in  front  of  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy's  advanced  line,  which 
rested  on  a  considerable  elevation,  and  was  as  usual  strongly  intrenched. 
On  the  morning  of  the  2ist,  General  Leggett  with  his  Division  was  sent  to 
the  front,  and  carried  the  enemy's  redoubt  in  the  most  gallant  style,  charg- 
ing up  a  steep  hill  over  an  open  field,  driving  the  enemy  from  it  with  heavy 
loss,  and  losing  on  our  side  about  700  killed  and  wounded.  As  this  hill  was 
the  key  to  our  whole  line,  the  enemy  made  on  the  same  day  two  determined 
efforts  to  recapture  it,  but  were  each  time  repulsed  with  severe  loss.  The 
Fifteenth  Corps  formed  and  connected  on  the  right  of  the  Seventeenth,  then 
came  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  and  then  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The 
remainder  of  the  day  was  occupied  in  intrenching,  clearing  away  the  heavy 
timber  and  cutting  roads  of  communication. 


126  APPENDIX. 

One  road  was  cut  about  half  a  mile  through  dense  woods,  immediately  in 
rear  of  the  center  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  to  some  fields,  where  the  wagons 
were  parked.  The  line  to  be  occupied  was  so  extended  that  it  took  the 
entire  Corps,  leaving  no  reserve.  The  extreme  left  was  formed  in  a  dense 
wood,  which  prevented  the  pickets  from  seeing  more  than  a  few  rods  in  ad- 
vance, and  as  we  had  no  cavalry  the  pickets  had  to  be  drawn  in  close  to  the 
main  line.  The  enemy  had  constructed  a  line  in  our  front  a  short  distance 
in  advance  of  the  main  works  about  Atlanta.  During  the  night  it  became 
my  duty  to  receive  the  reports  of  the  pickets  and  forward  them  to  General 
McPherson.  About  n  o'clock  these  reports  showed  that  there  was  an  un- 
usual restlessness  in  the  enemy's  advanced  lines,  which  indicated  some 
movement  of  importance.  I  sent  them  to  General  McPherson,  and  lay 
down  fully  dressed,  awaiting  further  developments. 

•  In  a  short  time  some  one  knocked  at  my  tent-door,  and  upon  bidding 
him  enter,  I  was  surprised  to  see  General  McPherson.  In  his  customary 
polite  and  genial  manner  he  apologized  for  disturbing  me,  and  then  com- 
menced discussing  the  character  of  the  reports  I  had  sent  him.  He  said  he 
was  very  anxious,  as  he  was  satisfied  that  the  enemy  was  making  some 
unusual  movement,  and  it  was  of  vital  importance  that  we  should  find  out 
what  he  was  doing  ;  that  he  would  like  to  have  some  reliable  officer  on  the 
picket  line  to  give  him  frequent  reports.  I  told  him  if  he  would  select  any 
officer  he  would  be  sent  at  once.  He  replied  in  the  apologetic  way  in  which 
he  generally  gave  disagreeable  orders  to  his  subordinates,  and  which  made 
him  so  universally  beloved  :  "  If  it  is  not  too  hard  on  you,  I  would  like  you 
to  go."  I  immediately  ordered  my  horse  and  rode  to  the  front.  Upon 
arriving  on  the  picket  line  1  sent  some  reliable  men  to  crawl  as  close  to  the 
enemy's  line  as  possible  and  reconnoiter.  They  returned  shortly  with  the 
information  that  the  enemy  had  withdrawn  from  their  advanced  line  into 
the  main  works.  Our  skirmish  line  was  at  once  advanced,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  enemy's  rifle-pits.  These  were  so  close  to  the  main  works  of 
Atlanta  that  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  necessary  bustle  which  always 
accompanies  the  movements  of  large  bodies  of  men,  with  the  occasional 
rumble  of  an  artillery  carriage. 

Just  before  daylight  I  crawled  out  with  one  of  the  pickets  to  an  oak 
tree  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  works  of  Atlanta,  and  within  easy 
rifle-shot  of  them.  As  the  day  advanced  we  could  see  the  troops  of  the 
enemy  massed  behind  the  works,  the  infantry  lying  down  with  their  accouter- 


ATLANTA.  127 

ments  on  and  muskets  in  hand,  and  the  artillery  harnessed  and  ready  to 
move.  As  we  looked,  regiments,  brigades  and  batteries  moved  back  toward 
Atlanta,  and  I  became  convinced  that  they  were  evacuating  the  city.  When 
the  day  became  well  advanced  I  crept  back  to  the  main  line,  when  I  met 
Generals  McPherson,  Blair  and  Giles  Smith,  consulting  together.  General 
McPherson  questioned  me  at  length  about  my  observations,  and  then  re- 
marked to  the  other  officers  :  "  I  don't  know  what  Hood  is  doing,  but  I 
have  ordered  up  the  Sixteenth  Corps  to  support  the  left."  He  then  turned 
round  and  thanked  me,  asking  what  I  was  going  to  do.  I  replied  that  I  was 
going  to  get  breakfast  and  a  fresh  horse.  He  said  :  "  You  had  better  get 
some  sleep,  too."  I  told  him  I  thought  we  would  have  too  busy  a  day  and 
left  him.  This  was  the  last  time  I  ever  saw  him.  I  rode  back  to  the  head- 
quarters, which  had  not  been  moved  since  the  night  of  the  2oth,  and  was 
about  two  miles  to  the  left  rear  of  our  position.  While  I  was  eating  break- 
fast a  mounted  man  came  up  in  great  haste  to  inform  me  that  the  enemy's 
cavalry  had  attacked  our  field  hospital,  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  head- 
quarters. I  took  about  twenty  mounted  infantry  which  were  at  the  head- 
quarters and  galloped  over  to  the  hospital,  sending  word  at  the  same  time 
to  General  Blair  to  ask  for  a  regiment  to  protect  the  hospital  until  the  men 
could  be  removed.  He  immediately  complied  with  the  request.  Upon  ap- 
proaching the  hospital  I  found  the  guard  and  nurses  skirmishing  with  a 
small  rebel  force,  which,  on  our  approach,  retired  by  a  country  road  leading 
toward  Atlanta.  I  followed  them  a  short  distance  and  met  the  regiment 
which  General  Blair  had  sent.  I  asked  the  colonel  to  send  a  smay  picket 
on  the  road  the  enemy  had  taken  and  cover  the  hospital  until  the  wounded 
were  removed.  In  a  few  minutes  the  picket  of  a  dozen  men  came  running 
back  into  the  field  where  we  were.  I  rode  up  and  asked  the  sergeant  what 
was  the  matter.  He  replied  that  there  were  "  too  many  Johnnies  "  on  that 
road  for  him.  I  at  once  galloped  down  the  road,  and,  upon  turning  a  bend 
in  it,  saw  that  it  was  entirely  filled  with  infantry  and  artillery  standing  at 
ease.  I  wheeled  my  horse,  and,  escaping  the  few  shots  that  were  fired  at 
me,  rode  back  to  the  regiment,  told  the  colonel  to  get  his  men  out  as  soon 
as  he  could,  and  started  to  report  what  I  had  seen.  As  soon  as  I  came 
upon  the  ridge  parallel  to  the  road  I  had  just  left  I  passed  the  rear  of  the 
Sixteenth  Corps,  which  was  marching  in  column  toward  our  left.  While  I 
was  passing,  the  enemy  (Bates'  Division  of  Hardee's  Corps)  appeared  en 
their  left  flank,  and  was  immediately  sharply  engaged.  As  I  reached  the 


128  APPENDIX. 

brow  of  the  hill  overlooking  the  valley  where  the  trains  were  parked,  I  saw 
General  Blair  and  staff  about  to  enter  the  woods  on  the  farther  side.  Just 
then  there  was  a  rattle  of  musketry  in  the  woods  in  front  of  him,  which 
caused  him  to  turn  to  the  right,  in  the  direction  of  Leggett's  Hill,  where  I 
joined  him  a  few  minutes  later.  This  was  the  volley  that  proved  fatal  to 
General  McPherson,  who  was  at  the  time  the  most  promising  officer  of  his 
age  in  the  Army. 

Before  atttempting  a  further  account  of  this  terrible  struggle,  a  few  ex- 
planatory remarks  are  necessary.  Hood's  Army  of  some  70,000  veteran 
soldiers  was  divided  into  three  corps  d'arm/e  of  nearly  equal  strength.  This 
force  was  supplemented  by  20,000  to  25,000  Georgia  militia,  who,  though 
not  considered  useful  in  field  operations,  became  useful  defenders  of  the 
formidable  works  behind  which  they  were  placed.  Hood  had  failed  in  his 
desperate  attack  on  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  at  Peach  Tree  Creek  on 
the  2oth  and  determined  to  risk  all  on  his  great  flank  movement  on  the  22d. 
Therefore,  leaving  one  of  his  Corps,  with  the  militia  facing  the  Armies  of 
the  Cumberland  and  Ohio,  he  moved  the  other  two  Corps  to  the  left  of 
Sherman's  Army,  with  the  intention  of  placing  one  Corps  in  rear  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee  and  another  in  front,  so  that  a  simultaneous  attack,  front 
and  rear,  would  destroy  this  Army,  and  force  Sherman  back  to  the  Tennessee 
River. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Hood  had  placed  about  40,000  of  his  best  troops 
against  less  than  30,000  of  Sherman's.  This  movement  was  rendered  easier 
by  the  fact  that  Sherman  had  scattered  his  cavalry  over  the  country,  de- 
stroying railroads,  thus  depriving  his  Army  of  the  necessary  "eyes  and 
ears."  It  is  well  to  observe  that  in  our  position  we  had  not  a  cavalryman  to 
patrol  the  roads  to  our  left,  and,  therefore,  although  every  one  was  on  the 
alert,  the  enemy  approached  with  their  line  of  battle  within  musket-shot  of 
our  slight  intrenchments  before  the  alarm  was  given.  Hood's  plan  was 
a  masterly  one  and  deserved  success,  but  he  did  not  calculate  on  the  oppor- 
tune arrival  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  and  the  desperate  fighting  quali- 
ties of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 

When  I  joined  General  Blair  on  "  Leggett's  Hill,"  the  enemy's  skirmish- 
ers, after  killing  General  McPherson,  appeared  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  to 
our  left  and  rear.  Their  main  line,  pivoting  on  our  left,  came  up  by  detach- 
ments, and  engaged  our  men,  who  had  jumped  over  the  works  with  their 
backs  to  Atlanta.  The  enemy  were  much  disordered  by  their  passage 


ATLANTA.  129 

through  the  dense  forest,  and  were  received  by  such  a  withering  fire  at  close 
quarters  that  they  recoiled.  Just  as  they  disappeared  in  the  woods  another 
force  of  the  enemy  were  observed  approaching  from  Atlanta.  Our  men  im- 
mediately sprang  over  the  works  and  received  this  new  attack  with  the  same 
cheerful  alacrity.  Four  other  assaults  were  made  in  the  same  way,  each 
one  failing  disastrously  to  the  Confederates,  because  from  the  nature  of  the 
ground  they  could  not  co-operate. 

After  the  first  crash  of  the  battle  General  Blair,  myself  and  some  others, 
tried  to  ride  to  our  left  to  see  what  was  going  on.  We  had  not  gone  far 
when  we  were  warned  by  the  falling  of  men  and  horses  that  we  could  not 
proceed.  We  therefore  returned  to  "  Legget's  Hill,"  and  leading  our  horses 
to  the  rear,  went  into  the  trenches.  Walker's  Corps  of  Hood's  Army  charged 
our  front  and  the  commander  was  killed  within  fifty  yards  of  our  works.  I 
happened  to  be  near  General  Force  when  he  directed  his  Adjutant-General 
to  carry  some  order  to  the  rear.  Instead  of  proceeding  by  way  of  the 
trenches,  he  started  to  cross  the  open  ground  immediately  behind  us.  After 
he  had  gone  about  twenty  yards  he  was  prostrated  by  a  ball  in  the  thigh. 
General  Force  rushed  out  to  his  relief,  and  while  raising  him  from  the 
ground,  was  shot  through  the  face.  After  some  difficulty  they  were  both 
brought  into  the  trenches  and  sent  to  the  rear. 

General  M.  C.  Force  was  one  of  those  remarkable  men  that  were  pro- 
duced by  the  War.  He  was  a  citizen  of  Ohio  in  1861,  and  attained  the 
position  of  brigade  commander  by  distinguished  service.  He  was  of  me- 
dium height,  of  fair  complexion,  very  pale,  and  had  one  of  those  impassive 
faces  which  show  no  emotion  under  any  circumstances.  These  peculiarities 
gave  him  the  greatest  control  over  his  men,  and  made  him  one  of  the  best 
commanders  of  troops  in  the  Army.  I  happened  to  be  near  him  once  in 
front  of  Kennesaw  Mow»tain  when  a  favorite  aid-de-camp  was  killed  by  his 
side,  and  although  I  knew  he  suffered  all  that  a  man  could  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, his  face  was  as  unmoved  as  if  nothing  had  occurred. 

After  several  attacks  the  regiments  to  the  left  of  "  Leggett's  Hill "  began 
to  disintegrate  and  drift  toward  the  right,  where  they  were  halted  and 
placed  in  available  positions.  In  one  of  the  attacks  I  saw  a  soldier  jump  on 
the  parapet  of  the  works,  fire  his  musket,  and  cheer  frantically.  While  ex- 
posing himself  in  this  way,  a  fragment  of  a  shell  took  off  a  part  of  his  scalp 
and  knocked  him  into  the  ditch  near  me.  I  presumed  he  was  dead,  but  a 
few  minutes  afterward  I  saw  him  firing  away  with  his  musket  as  if  nothing 
9 


130  APPENDIX. 

had  happened.  The  45th  Alabama  Regiment  of  Confederates,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Lampley,  was  confronted  in  the  first  attack  by  Colonel  W.  W. 
Belknap's  Regiment,  the  i6th  Iowa.  The  Alabama  Regiment  was  repulsed, 
but  returned  several  times  to  the  attack,  until  it  was  nearly  destroyed. 
Colonel  Lampley  and  about  twenty  of  his  men  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
ditch.  They  were  summoned  repeatedly  to  surrender,  but  as  often  replied 
by  musket-shots.  Colonel  Lampley  was  immediately  opposite  Colonel  Bel- 
knap.  Both  were  large,  powerful  men,  and  equally  determined.  The  men 
could  not  raise  their  heads  above  the  works  without  being  shot  or  bayoneted, 
and  consequently  continued  the  fight  by  thrusting  their  muskets  over  the 
works  and  firing  at  random.  Colonel  Belknap  was  anxious  to  save  his  gal- 
lant opponent,  but  every  time  he  appeared  above  the  works  he  became  a 
target  for  some  of  Lampley's  men.  After  repeated  efforts  he  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  dragging  Colonel  Lampley  over  the  works  by  his  coat-collar, 
whereupon  the  remainder  of  his  regiment  (to  the  number  of  thirteen,  I 
think)  surrendered  and  were  taken  prisoners.  Colonel  Lampley  had  been 
slightly  wounded  in  the  back,  but  I  heard  he  died  in  prison,  more  from 
chagrin  than  injuries.  The  Confederates  honored  the  45th  Alabama  by 
burying  them  on  the  ground  where  they  fell. 

A  great  lull  came  in  the  combat,  and  I  told  General  Blair  I  would  go  to 
the  left  and  see  what  had  become  of  General  Giles  Smith,  who  had  been 
assigned  to  the  Fourth  Division  after  General  Gresham  was  wounded.  As 
the  last  attack  had  been  from  the  rear,  I  pushed  my  horse  through  an  em- 
brasure, made  for  a  gun,  and  galloped  to  the  left.  Proceeding  some  dis- 
tance, I  found  General  Giles  Smith  sitting  in  a  negligent  attitude  on  his 
horse,  talking  to  some  infantry  officers.  I  asked  him  how  he  was  "  getting 
on."  He  said,  "We  have  had  it  pretty  rough,  but  I  think  we  can  hold 
them.  I  think  we  ought  to  be  re-enforced."  I  to*  him  we  didn't  have  a 
man  to  send  him  and  he  would  have  to  do  the  best  he  could.  Just  then  a 
man  from  the  picket  line  toward  Atlanta  came  running  up  and  said,  "  Gen- 
eral, they  are  coming."  Whereupon  General  Smith  warned  his  men  to  get 
over  the  works,  and  passed  through  an  embrasure  to  the  other  side. 

General  Smith  was  a  typical  Western  man,  and  belonged  to  a  fighting 
family.  His  older  brother,  Morgan  L.  Smith  (an  ex-sergeant  of  the  Regular 
Army),  raised  the  8th  Missouri  Infantry,  and  became  its  colonel.  After  a 
few  desperate  battles  in  the  West  he  was  made  a  brigadier-general,  and 
his  brother  Giles  became  colonel  of  the  regiment.  The  same  fortune  fol- 


ATLANTA.  131 

lowed  him,  and  after  one  of  the  sharp  campaigns  in  the  West  he  was  pro- 
moted, and  his  brother-in-law,  Coleman,  became  colonel  of  the  Fighting  8th. 
Giles  Smith  was  about  5  feet  n  inches  in  height,  and  weighed  perhaps  150 
pounds  ;  he,  had  sandy  hair,  a  bright  blue  eye,  and  always  a  pleasant 
smile  and  a  cheerful  word.  His  negligent  air  was  never  changed  in 
battle,  and  no  excitement  could  be  detected  except  by  the  enlargement  and 
brilliancy  of  his  eyes.  He  was  just  the  man  to  hold  the  position,  and  well 
did  he  sustain  his  own  and  the  reputation  of  the  gallant  division  which  he 
commanded. 

After  trying  to  drive  our  men  out  of  the  works,  and  failing  after  six 
assaults,  the  enemy  formed  a  line  at  right  angles  to  ours,  and  by  enfilading 
with  artillery  drove  the  command  down  to  Leggett's  Hill.  This  point, 
which  was  the  key  of  our  line,  was  called  "  Leggett's  Hill "  by  us  in  honor 
of  that  distinguished  officer  who  had  taken  it  from  the  enemy  on  the  2ist. 
He  and  General  Blair,  with  their  respective  staffs,  had  been  busily  engaged 
in  collecting  and  organizing  the  stragglers  who  drifted  from  the  left,  and 
finding  the  original  line  untenable,  formed  a  new  line,  placed  at  right  angles 
to  the  old  one,  the  right  of  this  new  line  resting  on  "  Leggett's  Hill,"  its  left 
reaching  down  into  the  valley  in  the  general  direction  of  the  Sixteenth 
Corps,  which  was  meantime  gallantly  maintaining  its  position.  An  effort 
was  made  to  cover  the  men  by  hastily  constructed  breastworks,  but  before 
this  could  be  done  the  enemy  made  their  last  desperate  effort.  They  came 
out  of  the  woods  in  heavy  lines  and  advanced  steadily  up  the  gentle  slope, 
leaving  the  ground  behind  them  covered  with  their  dead  and  wounded.  It 
looked  at  one  time  as  if  nothing  could  withstand  their  constancy,  but  when 
they  had  nearly  reached  our  position  a  counter-charge  was  made  by  a 
portion  of  our  line,  which  was  unprotected  by  works,  and  after  a  hand-to- 
hand  struggle,  in  which  flags  were  taken  and  retaken,  they  were  rolled  back 
into  the  ravine,  which  became  a  perfect  slaughter  pen.  This  substantially 
ended  the  battle,  although  the  enemy  maintained  a  position  on  the  hills 
within  thirty  yards  of  our  works  until  nearly  midnight,  from  which  point 
they  kept  up  a  heavy  fire.  Finally  they  silently  withdrew,  taking  most  of 
their  wounded,  but  leaving  their  dead  piled  up  in  our  front. 

After  some  difficulty  we  found  our  camp  and  obtained  some  food  and  a 
few  hours'  rest,  which  was  much  needed  in  our  exhausted  condition.  Before 
daylight  of  the  23d  of  July  we  were  again  on  the  line  expecting  another 
attack,  but  as  it  gradually  grew  light  we  ascertained  that  the  enemy  had 


1 32  APPENDIX. 

withdrawn  within  the  main  works  of  Atlanta,  leaving  us  in  possession  of  the 
field  strewn  with  all  the  horrible  debris. 

The  most  prolonged  fighting  having  been  in  the  vicinity  of  "  Leggett's 
Hill,"  there  was  the  greatest  carnage.  In  some  places  the  dead  of  both 
Armies  were  piled  six  and  eight  deep.  One  fair-haired  boy  of  1 6  or  17  years 
lay  prostrate  within  twenty  feet  of  our  line,  his  face  and  figure  looking  as  if 
he  was  in  a  gentle  sleep.  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  his  mother,  who 
would  never  see  his  handsome  face  again.  In  a  short  time  a  flag  of  truce 
was  seen  advancing  from  Atlanta.  I  was  sent  out  to  meet  it  at  the  picket 
line,  several  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  our  works.  I  found  it  in  charge 
of  a  colonel  of  the  staff,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten.  He  desired  a  truce 
for  the  purpose  of  removing  the  dead  and  wounded.  As  I  had  no  authority 
to  grant  it  I  sent  an  officer  back  to  General  Blair,  who  referred  it  to  General 
Logan,  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  in  place  of  General  Mc- 
Pherson.  While  waiting  for  a  reply  the  Confederate  colonel  asked  my 
permission  to  search  among  the  dead  near  our  lines  for  a  relative  of  his.  I 
told  him  I  cpuld  not  let  him  approach  our  lines,  as  we  had  been  strengthen- 
ing them.  He  replied  with  a  significant  smile  that  the  precaution  was  un- 
necessary, as  they  had  seen  enough  of  them  the  day  before.  In  a  few 
minutes  General  Logan  sent  word  that  the  truce  would  be  granted  in  a 
couple  of  hours. 

I  then  ascertained  that  the  "  relative  "  the  colonel  was  seeking  was  his 
Corps  commander,  General  Walker,  whose  body  had  been  recognized  and 
taken  within  our  lines.  It  was,  I  believe,  promptly  delivered  to  the  officer. 
General  Sherman,  I  was  informed,  was  loath  to  believe  that  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee  had  fought  two-thirds  of  Hood's  Army  the  day  before,  but  when 
he  overlooked  the  field  during  the  truce  he  became  convinced  of  the  severity 
of  the  action,  and  no  doubt  regretted  that  the  Armies  of  the  Cumberland 
and  Ohio  had  not  carried  the  works  of  Atlanta  during  the  absence  of  its 
defenders. 

A.  J.  ALEXANDER. 


A   MORTAL   COMBAT. 

Some  years  ago  I  was  one  of  a  small  party  hunting  in  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains. So  far  our  hunt  had  been  very  successful,  and  we  had  made  an  ideal 
hunters'  camp  on  a  south-eastern  slope  of  the  mountains  near  the  crest,  in  a 
scrub-oak  thicket  which  afforded  us  the  best  fuel  in  abundance.  The  dense 
timber  protected  both  men  and  animals  from  the  cold  winds,  and  plenty  of 
"  bunch  grass  "  made  our  animals  comfortable.  As  the  huge  camp-fire  lit 
up  the  surrounding  trees,  there  came  into  view  carcasses  of  white  and  black- 
tail  deer,  bear  and  mountain  sheep  hanging  on  convenient  limbs.  Our 
supper  had  been  a  beautiful  one  consisting  of  such  choice  parts  of  the 
different  varieties  of  game  as  each  one  desired.  Then  came  one  of  those 
happy  periods  which  only  a  hunter  knows,  when  fresh  logs  were  piled  on 
the  fire,  and  the  delicious  aroma  of  the  after-dinner  pipe,  floated  lazily  on 
the  air.  Each  one  disposed  his  tired  frame  in  the  most  agreeable  attitude, 
and  the  events  of  the  day,  and  the  prospects  for  the  morrow,  were  pleasantly 
discussed. 

Among  our  party  was  a  mountaineer  who  had  spent  many  years  on  the 
mountains,  and  had  undergone  all  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune  incident  to 
that  wild  life.  The  question  came  up  as  to  which  of  the  savage  animals 
was  most  powerful.  This  elicited  the  following  story  from  the  old  mount- 
aineer. I  wish  I  could  narrate  it  in  his  own  words,  and  give  his  powerful 
picture  of  the  scene  he  described,  which  would  add  much  to  the  effect. 

He  said  he  was  hunting  once  in  the  "  Rockies,"  with  an  Indian  as  his 
companion.  They  saw  at  a  distance  a  buffalo  on  one  of  the  foot-hills,  and 
at  once  commenced  stalking  him.  As  any  one  knows  who  has  visited  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  they  break  off  gradually  to  the  eastward  in  ridges  divided 
by  deep  and  rugged  ravines  or  canyons.  The  hunters  approached  under 
shelter  of  the  ridge  next  to  the  one  on  which  they  had  perceived  the  buffalo, 
and  when  opposite  him,  and  within  easy  rifle-shot,  crawled  slowly  to  the 
crest,  carrying  bushes  in  their  hands  to  conceal  their  heads.  Upon  reaching 
the  crest  of  the  ridge  they  had  a  full  view  of  the  buffalo,  which  proved  to 
be  a  bull  of  the  largest  size  in  full  flesh  and  vigor. 


134  APPENDIX. 

Their  attention  was  at  once  attracted  to  the  curious  conduct  of  the 
magnificent  animal.  His  head  was  turned  partially  from  them,  looking 
toward  the  ravine  on  the  opposite  side.  He  was  emitting  the  low,  bellowing 
roar  peculiar  to  the  buffalo  when  excited,  throwing  up  the  dirt,  and  raising 
his  tail  as  they  do  when  enraged.  The  hunters  thought  he  was  challenging 
another  buffalo,  and  waited  to  see  the  result.  In  a  few  moments  they  saw 
an  enormous  grizzly  bear  moving  slowly  up  to  the  knoll,  where  the  buffalo 
awaited  his  coming. 

The  bear  approached  cautiously,  stopping  every  few  yards  to  observe 
his  antagonist,  whose  excitement  and  rage  seemed  to  increase,  and  whose 
continuous  muffled  roar  drowned  all  other  sounds. 

Finally,  when  the  bear  had  arrived  within  a  few  rods  of  his  noble  enemy, 
on  the  narrow  bench  of  nearly  level  ground,  the  buffalo  brought  matters  to 
a  crisis  by  lowering  his  gigantic  head,  and  charging  with  all  his  strength. 
The  bear  immediately  raised  himself  on  his  hind  legs,  and,  skillfully  avoiding 
the  buffalo's  horns,  caught  him  around  the  head  with  his  left  arm,  seizing 
him  at  the  same  time  by  the  back  of  his  neck  with  his  powerful  jaws.  Then 
came  a  grand  exhibition  of  strength,  the  buffalo  using  all  his  tremendous 
power  to  get  his  horns  under  the  bear,  and  free  himself  from  the  close  em- 
brace of  his  adversary,  while  the  latter,  clinging  with  his  teeth  and  one  arm, 
used  the  other  in  an  attempt  to  cripple  the  buffalo  by  the  most  terrific  blows 
on  his  left  shoulder  and  side.  In  this  tremendous  struggle,  they  turned  in  a 
circle  several  times,  until  finally  the  buffalo  accomplished  his  object,  and 
threw  the  bear  from  him. 

For  a  few  moments  they  remained  gazing  at  one  another,  evidently 
recovering  their  breath,  somewhat  exhausted  by  their  previous  efforts.  The 
buffalo  was  bleeding  from  several  wounds  in  the  neck,  and  the  bear  from  wounds 
on  his  side.  They  both  exhibited  the  extreme  of  savage  anger,  the  buffalo 
bellowing,  tearing  the  earth,  and  shaking  his  great  shaggy  head,  while  the 
bear  returned  his  challenge,  by  continuous  roars,  showing  his  great  teeth 
and  swinging  his  massive  head  from  side  to  side.  The  buffalo  brought  the 
truce  to  a  close  by  a  rapid  charge,  which  the  bear  eluded,  striking  his  ad- 
versary a  tremendous  blow  as  he  passed,  which  again  brought  blood.  The 
buffalo  turned  with  the  rapidity  peculiar  to  the  animal,  and  repeated  the 
charge  several  times,  without  effecting  his  object.  At  last  they  closed  in 
the  final  struggle,  the  bear  clinging  to  the  buffalo's  head  and  shoulders, 
while  the  latter  maneuvered  to  get  his  horns  under  his  formidable  antago- 


A  MORTAL  COMBAT.  135 

nist.  Round  and  round  they  went,  tearing  up  rocks  and  bushes,  until  the 
buffalo  succeeded  in  his  efforts,  forced  the  bear  over  the  edge  of  the  little 
plateau,  and,  in  the  impetuosity  of  his  charge,  fell  on  the  bear  with  all  his 
enormous  weight,  and  turned  a  complete  summersault  down  the  steep 
decline. 

For  an  instant  both  lay  still,  but  the  buffalo  soon  recovered  himself, 
and  staggering  slowly  to  his  feet,  again  faced  his  antagonist  with  un- 
diminished  resolution.  The  bear,  however,  lay  quiet,  breathing  heavily, 
and  evidently  hors  du  combat. 

After  waiting  a  few  moments  for  a  renewal  of  the  attack,  the  buffalo 
slowly  approached  his  fallen  enemy,  and,  applying  his  great  strength,  rolled 
him  over,  when,  finding  him  dead,  he  slowly  ascended  to  the  scene  of  battle 
and  proclaimed  his  victory  by  triumphant  bellowing. 

The  white  hunter  raised  his  rifle  to  shoot  him,  but  the  Indian  sprang 
forward  and  put  his  hand  on  the  rifle,  and,  turning  it  away,  said,  "  No  shoot ! 
Big  brave  ! "  and  allowed  the  victor  to  march  slowly  away  to  seek  his 

comrades-  A.  J.  ALEXANDER. 


THE  END. 


; 

Mj& 


